


Right Hand On My Heart

by A_M_Kelley



Category: Bandom, Megadeth, Metallica
Genre: Alternate Universe - Modern Setting, Angst, Arguing, Banter, Crimes & Criminals, Crying, Daddy Kink, Developing Relationship, Dirty Talk, Emotional Constipation, Explicit Sexual Content, Flirting, Gentle Sex, Heavy Angst, Hurt/Comfort, M/M, Older Man/Younger Man, Rough Sex, Sexual Tension, Sugar Daddy, Threats of Violence
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2018-11-12
Updated: 2019-07-25
Packaged: 2019-08-22 14:24:37
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 14
Words: 57,599
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/16599599
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/A_M_Kelley/pseuds/A_M_Kelley
Summary: Dave Mustaine is a wealthy man. He runs the biggest and most prestigious club in Los Angeles. And, sure, maybe he had to step on a few toes along the way to get where he is today, but in this business you're bound to make some enemies. Except sometimes you never really know who those enemies are.





	1. Growing Conspiracy

**Author's Note:**

> Title inspired by The Whigs song of the same name.
> 
> This story takes place in a modern setting and contains KEA era Kirk while Dave and James are both around 40 (because reasons). Really not sure how long this story will be or how frequent updates will come, but I'll try my best!

“I'm so glad you could make it today,” Dave sighs with relief, walking over to shake his guest's hand. “You wanna drink?”

“Thought you'd never ask,” came the snarky reply.

Dave shuts the door to his study and makes his way over to the cabinet that perfectly displays the quaint little selection of whiskeys and brandys. He pours himself and his friends a drink before taking a seat behind his desk and gestures for the other man to follow suit. They both down their drinks promptly.

“So what's this about, Dave? Why all the secrecy?”

“Just give me a second to collect my thoughts,” Dave dismisses, but his visitor complies all the same.

Dave Mustaine is a wealthy man. He runs the biggest and most prestigious club in Los Angeles. And, sure, maybe he had to step on a few toes along the way to get where he is today, but in this business you're bound to make some enemies. Except sometimes you never really know who those enemies are. They could be the obvious _competition_ , other establishments trying to make a name for themselves, but more often than not it's your own people. Dave was paranoid to a fault, never truly trusting those under his employ, so to say this past week has been hell on Dave, would be an understatement.

“I know you and I have been friends for a really long time. I'd like to think that I can trust you, James,” Dave says after a moment.

“And you know that trust goes both ways,” James adds.

“I'm sorry if I freaked you out the other day. I know I was being cryptic as shit when I called but like I said, wasn't sure who I could trust at the time,” Dave explains, pouring them both another drink.

He's known James since he started this business twenty years ago. At the time neither of them realized just how cutthroat it really is, but they adapted quickly. They both did things they weren't particularly proud of, that's just the way the world is sometimes, but James had always stuck by his side through thick and thin. James even got busted for something Dave was responsible for and went away to prison for three years because of it. But did James roll over him? Rat him out? Snitch?...

James was probably the only person he could fully trust with his life right now.

“I'm still not a hundred percent,” Dave admits, expressing some doubt, but it isn't directed at James. More to himself. “I should have my fucking head examined.”

“Slow down, man. Take a deep breath and start from the beginning,” James tells him calmly. “What's going on?”

“Someone's trying to sabotage me, James. I know it. I can fucking feel it in my bones,” Dave says, looking down at the amber liquid in his glass before taking a swig.

“What makes you think that?” James asks.

“That protection money I send to Menza every month keeps disappearing. This is the third time it's happened.”

“And you think someone's taking it?” James inquires curiously, leaning forward in his chair slightly.

“Well it didn't sprout legs and fucking _walk_ away,” Dave snaps sarcastically.

It's the type of outburst that James has gotten used to over the years. Dave was easily stressed and he wasn't always the most eloquent when dealing with his emotions, let alone anger. This was different though. He's seen Dave angry before. He's seen him do unspeakable things to people who had it coming, but this? This wasn't as straightforward. Dave isn't furious right now. He looks… _tired_. _Fatigued_ , even. James had thought his old friend was just being paranoid as usual, but something wasn't right.

“And you didn't misplace it?”

“No, man… Anything that's worth my life is kept in the safe in my office at the club. You know that,” Dave says as slowly and calmly as he can manage.

“Okay, well, can you think of anyone who might have taken it? Anyone who might have access?” James supplies helpfully, trying to cover all bases before Dave can jump the gun further.

“I'm the only one who has complete access to that safe, James,” Dave states, looking his old friend dead in the eye. He looks shaken to the core. “Not you, not Marty… _just me_.”

“Have you called Marty yet?” James brings up now that someone else's name has joined the conversation.

“I wanted to talk to you first. Marty's loyal, but you and me got history. If there's a rat in the house, you're the first and, preferably, only person who's on a need to know basis,” Dave divulges, and he's got circles under his eyes. Like he hasn't _truly_ slept in days. “I know I can _overreact_ , and God knows how messy shit's gotten in the past because of it, but this one's cast iron, James. I mean it, man. This doesn't leave the study.”

“I understand,” James says resolutely.

And he believes every word Dave has said. He knows Dave has no reason to lie and throw accusations around. This is serious. But that goes without saying where Nick Menza is concerned. If someone's been taking Dave's protection money right from under his nose, that means it has to be someone close or, at the very least, someone who works for him at the club. But that could be so many people…

Before James can get another word in, however, the door to the study is being opened. Dave shoots a look past James and James follows his gaze slowly to see a young man poking his head in through the ajar door. James glances back to Dave and the ginger noticeably relaxes and lets out a breath that sounds as if he'd been holding it in for the past five minutes. The tension in Dave's shoulders all but melts away and his eyes flutter close before fixing the man with a soft, yet somewhat firm stare.

“Kirk, what have I told you about coming in here while the door's closed?” Dave groans, though he isn't upset or disappointed.

Perhaps _concerned_ is the best way to describe the tone Dave uses to address this kid.

“I'm sorry,” Kirk apologizes, hanging in the doorway. “But you've been cooped up in here for the past three days and I was starting to get worried.”

“Come here, baby,” Dave beckons, holding a hand out towards the kid to invite him further into the room.

Kirk closes the door behind him and walks over to Dave, hips swaying as he does. James watches the brunette with a scrutinizing gaze, raking his eyes up and down the expanse of Kirk's lithe body. He recognizes the kid, though he's never formally met him. He used to be one of the dancers at Dave's club, but judging by the look of it that chapter of his life has since ended. He's young and skinny and pretty. All the things Dave is clearly a sucker for. Kid must've made an impression on Dave if he's living under the same roof and comfortable enough to disobey Dave's rules.

“I didn't mean to worry you, sweetheart,” Dave excuses, reaching out to cup Kirk's face in his hands. “Daddy's just been real busy lately. Hopefully not so much after today.”

That's when Kirk spares a look over at James, really acknowledging him for the first time, and studies him with a skeptical eye. The kid is weary of James’ presence, though there is a glimmer of recognition that flashes briefly through his brown eyes. Kirk appears to regard him with the same passing fascination one might show a new kid at school.

“How much longer is it gonna be?” Kirk complains, obviously nervous and stressed about the stranger sitting across from Dave.

“Not much longer, babe,” Dave swears, stroking his thumbs across Kirk's cheekbones.

Kirk makes a frustrated little sound and pouts, wearing the façade of a child as he flirts with the idea of throwing a tantrum. The interaction both fascinates and confuses James to no end. When did this kid become a part of Dave's life and why did Dave's whole demeanor change? James suddenly feels like he's overstepping some boundary right now just by witnessing this exchange and clears his throat.

“Look, I can come back tomorrow if you need some time,” James says vaguely, feeling slightly out of place.

“We're almost done here,” Dave reiterates, and he's saying it to both Kirk and James this time. He turns his attention back to Kirk and fixes him with a soft smile. “I'll let you stay if you promise to behave and not interrupt us while we finish up our business. Understand?”

“Yes, sir,” Kirk replies obediently.

“You'll be a good boy?” Dave asks.

“ _Always_ ,” Kirk promises with a pleased little smile.

 _A smile he uses to get what he wants_ , James surmises. But the kid isn't malicious in any way. Yeah, Dave is essentially Kirk's sugar daddy if James is being completely blunt here, but there's something in the way he interacts with Dave that proves it isn't just about the money he undoubtedly gets showered in. After all, this kid used to be a dancer at the biggest club in Los Angeles. Hooking up with Dave to get to his money was never a factor in the equation.

“Come on, then,” Dave sighs, patting his lap invitingly.

Kirk climbs onto Dave's lap and drapes his legs over the armrest. He snakes an arm around Dave's shoulders and burrows into the older man's body, clinging to him like a barnacle. He rests his head in the crook of where neck meets shoulder and lays his free hand on Dave's chest. Dave briefly cranes his head to press a kiss to the top of Kirk's head. Kirk's gaze befalls James once again and James finds himself crossing his legs uncomfortably. He isn't sure whether it's the PDA or those big doe eyes, but James squirms a little.

“So what's the plan?” James inquires to get back on track after Kirk settles into Dave's lap. “Where do we start?”

“I'd say just keep an eye out for now,” Dave tells him, looking down at the bundle in his arms.

Dave has his arm wrapped around Kirk's waist while his other hand is resting against a skinny thigh, caressing it idly with the pad of his thumb. James can tell that Dave is being purposely vague now that Kirk's in the room, but it probably isn't due to lack of trust. The way he coddled the kid and holds him speaks volumes as to why Dave sounded so freaked out on the phone the other day. He isn't just worried about his livelihood. He's worried about his and Kirk's safety.

“Point me in the direction and I'll go, man,” James vows without hesitation.

“Start by asking questions around the club. Maybe one of the dancers has seen something suspicious,” Dave suggests, and James feels like that's a good starting point. “Who knows? One of them might even have something to hide.”

“Sounds good,” James concurs.

“Just, try to be subtle about it, ya know?” Dave adds, more calm and collected now that Kirk's around. “If anyone catches wind as to what's going on, they'll have skipped town before we know it.”

“I got some extra eyes and ears I can trust. Perhaps I can send out a few feelers,” James proposes, noticing the way Kirk curls into Dave further.

Dave seems a lot more relaxed with Kirk around. Like he can finally think straight without going absolutely mental like he could be right now.

“Do what you have to. I’m putting my complete faith in you, Hetfield,” Dave proclaims, and it almost sounds like a warning. Or, even worse, _desperation_. “I trust you to make proper judgement on this one.”

“You can count on me, Dave. And if shit goes south, I'll deal with it myself,” James declares.

“And that's exactly why I called you, James,” Dave says, offering up a smirk. Kirk wiggles against him and he's momentarily brought out of his crisis. “Now if you'll excuse me, I have some other _business_ to attend to.”

James looks at the kid nestled in Dave's lap, not surprised to see a pair of big brown eyes staring him up and down. Though, now he's less weary and more curious about James if anything. He wonders what Kirk must think is going on right now, but figures Dave will come up with a good, if not vague, excuse to quell some of his worries.

“Of course,” James says, tossing back his drink before standing up and making his way to the door. “I'll give you call later to keep you up to date on the situation.”

With one last glance to Kirk, James nods his head as if to say _goodbye_ , and dips out of the room. Both Dave and Kirk listen to heavily booted feet receding down the hall and down the stairs until they hear the front door promptly open and close. Now that they're alone, Kirk is permitted to speak now.

“What was that all about?” Kirk asks out of concern, and perhaps a modicum of curiosity.

“Nothing you need to worry your pretty little head about,” Dave deflects, ruffling the young man's hair playfully. “Just business, baby. That's all.”

“Is someone in trouble at the club?” Kirk inquires despite Dave's insistence on coming off as nonchalant. After a beat, he adds, “Are _you_ in trouble?”

“Everything's fine, sweetheart,” Dave reassures, rubbing his hand up and down Kirk's side.

“It didn't sound like it from what that guy said,” Kirk points out, expressing doubt over Dave's lack of honesty. “He's not the type of company you usually have around if everything's _fine_.”

“What are you trying say?” Dave asks, holding Kirk close.

“He looks like a thug with all those tattoos and the way he talks,” Kirk admits, tracing circles on Dave's chest absently. “He's the guy you call when you have to get rid of a body…”

“James is an old friend of mine. We go way back,” Dave explains, hoping to soothe some of Kirk's concerns. He doesn't need Kirk stressing out too. “There's no one I trust more in this world than him. I called him here today because if something _does_ go wrong, I know he'll be here to make sure nothing happens to you. That's all that was, baby. I promise.”

“Really?” Kirk inquires skeptically, wanting to believe Dave.

“Cross my heart and hope to die,” Dave recites, giving Kirk a warm smile.

This gets Kirk to relax a little so Dave quickly changes the subject.

“I'm sorry that I scared you, baby,” Dave reiterates, brushing a few stray curls out of Kirk's face. “How ‘bout I make it up to you? Anything you want, I'll get for you.”

“ _Anything?_ ” Kirk echoes, starry-eyed.

“Anything.”

“ _You_ ,” Kirk states plainly, staring up into Dave's eyes.

“ _Me?_ ” Dave questions with a brief chuckle.

“I want you.”

“You can have me any time, baby,” Dave remarks.

“I know. But that's all I want right now,” Kirk clarifies, running his hand delicately over Dave's chest.

“Well, I can't argue with that,” Dave relents, capturing Kirk's lips in a gentle kiss.

Dave makes sure he has a good hold on Kirk before he decides to start standing up. Dave might be in his forties but he can still manage this. He scoops Kirk up in his arms and the kid immediately wraps himself around Dave like ribbon on a birthday present. They kiss as Dave carries Kirk down the hall and into the master bedroom like a bride on her wedding night. He lays the lithe bundle down against the mattress with care, heart pounding and palms sweating in anticipation, and climbs on top of Kirk. The young man pulls Dave into him, throwing his arms around Dave's neck, and they kiss passionately.

With that, all of Dave's problems seem to disappear, if only for this moment.


	2. Every Teardrop Is A Waterfall

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This was supposed to just be a hot/sexy update but it turned out to be way more emotional than intended. More of the actual plot to come in the next chapter (though I'm sure no one's complaining either way so ¯\\_(ツ)_/¯).

Kirk wraps his arms and legs around Dave's body as the older man presses into him and distributes his body weight evenly against Kirk. This beckons out a content sigh from the kid, washing away any tension that had been festering there between them and replacing it with newfound vigor. Kirk is restless as Dave kisses him, squirming impatiently like he can't wait any longer, but Dave makes him wait. And, much to Kirk's chagrin, he obeys.

Dave starts out slow with Kirk, stripping him down completely until he's bared and exposed for the older man's viewing pleasure. His legs are spread open so he can accommodate Dave kneeling between his thighs and he's already hard. His cock is laying flat against his stomach, nestled in a patch of dark curls, and _fuck_ does he look absolutely beautiful laying there with his hair all strewn about the pillows and waiting for Dave. How did he let himself stay away from this for so long?

Dave settles over Kirk once again and begins to plant kisses all over his neck and collarbone all while caressing the boy's perfect body. Kirk hangs off of Dave as he's showered in the affection he's been so desperately craving. Kirk groans low in his throat when he feels Dave's clothed erection grind into his feverish and exposed groin. Kirk buries his face into Dave's hair, curling against his older lover as he shudders in delight. Dave's kisses turn into playful nips here and there and by the time he's worked both himself and Kirk up thoroughly, he starts to bite at Kirk's neck.

It makes Kirk gasp softly as Dave sucks tenderly on the soft skin of his neck and kneads a chunk of it between his teeth. Kirk's so needy that he rubs his hips against Dave's rough jeans despite the discomfort it brings along with it. He's been waiting so long to have Dave to himself that he doesn't care if he hurts himself in the process. He just needs the friction. The slightest whisper of a caress. Kirk begins to whimper in frustration when he feels Dave's body shift away from his.

“Don't go and throw a tantrum now, baby boy. I don't wanna have to punish you too,” Dave tsks, his voice a low and sultry mumble against the shell of Kirk's ear.

Kirk whines, as if to say he understands. He settles down a bit after that and trusts Dave to give him what he wants if he behaves. Dave smirks when notices Kirk obey his warning and bends down to kiss the younger man's cheek chastly.

“There's my good boy,” Dave murmurs, peppering Kirk's smooth face in tiny little kisses.

It doesn't take long for Dave to relent a little and strip down after that. He takes a moment to dig around in the bedside drawer and grabs a bottle of lubricant. He's kept Kirk waiting long enough, though he still intends on making love to Kirk nice and slow even when his body is telling him to just _go go go_. He wants to spoil Kirk. Wants to make him appreciate every little touch as he whispers filthy things into his ear.

The moment Dave's bare body aligns with Kirk's the young man immediately latches onto him like he has no intent on letting go, but Dave isn't in a rush by any means. He drops a hand down between them and prepares Kirk with deft hands, using a liberal amount of lubrication to make sure Kirk is comfortable. Kirk arches into the contact, needing more than Dave's hand and fingers. Dave doesn't indulge him, however. He nuzzles Kirk's neck, sucking marks into tan skin to show the world who he belongs to, and fingers him.

Every so often Dave adds another finger alongside the others until he's able to thrust three inside of Kirk with ease. It draws out the most beautiful noises from Kirk, resulting in Dave's cock twitching in interest. By this point, Dave's just torturing himself if not Kirk, and decides to finally take matters into his own hands. He twists and thrusts his fingers inside of Kirk a few more times before withdrawing them completely. Kirk doesn't whine this time because he knows what's coming.

Dave spreads some lube along his cock and tosses the bottle aside. Not far, just out of reach, because he plans on using that whole damn bottle tonight even if it kills him.

“You've been such a good, patient boy,” Dave admires, tone throaty and full of groans as he strokes himself.

He stares down at Kirk who lies there beneath him, biting his lips and squirming against the bed wantonly. He's reaching out towards Dave, running his hands over his shoulders and tugging at his strawberry hair. Dave's face is obscured by his hair at this angle, but Kirk can tell he's smirking. He can't begin to imagine just how debauched he must look right now. Cheeks flushed pink and his cock painfully hard from rough friction and neglect.

“I bet you want your treat,” Dave teases, knowing full well that if Kirk wasn't so turned on he'd be giving Dave a piece of his mind for torturing him.

“Yes, sir,” Kirk answers obediently.

“Say that thing I like,” Dave requests cryptically.

“ _Dave_ ,” Kirk whines as his face burns in embarrassment.

“Come on, baby. Just one time and I'll give you everything you want,” Dave promises, kissing Kirk on the cheek.

He can see the uncertainty flash through Kirk's eyes, but the kid is so far gone that he'd do almost anything to please Dave. Kirk licks his lips and looks up at Dave with big, shimmering eyes.

“ _Daddy..._ ” Kirk all but whispers.

“I'm gonna need more than that sweetie,” Dave says, unrelenting. “You're a good boy. I know you can do it.”

Kirk lets out a shaky breath as if it's the most most nerve wracking thing of his life and submits completely to Dave.

“I've been such a dirty little slut _daddy_. My pussy's so wet just thinking about having your big cock stretching me open. Please fuck me _daddy_ ,” Kirk begs, and the admission makes Kirk's body flush in hot shame.

Sure, Kirk truly does want that, but the idea of dirty talk and calling Dave his _daddy_ always managed to embarrass him despite how much it also turned him on. He's called Dave daddy in passing plenty of times, but the moment their bodies hit the mattress it was always kind of awkward for Kirk to express himself in that way. He didn't want to make a fool of himself or disgust Dave with his vulgar or taboo language, even though he knows by now that that's not an issue. Still, saying it out loud made Kirk's stomach do somersaults.

“Oh _baby_...” Dave practically moans, letting out a nervous chuckle as Kirk's sweet voice and filthy words sends more blood rushing to his cock. “You're too good to me.”

Dave has all but forgotten about the fiasco he calls his life by now that he doesn't even remember James stopping by no more than a half hour ago. He doesn't remember the fuck ton of money missing from his safe or what Menza will do if he misses a payment. The center of Dave's universe revolves around pleasing his distraught lover the best way he knows how.

And with that, Dave pushes inside of Kirk slowly. Kirk's face immediately scrunches up into an expression of pure, unbridled ecstasy as Dave finally gives him what he wants. Kirk could have asked for money or designer clothes or an extravagant night on the town at Dave's expense, but no. He just wanted _this_. This was enough for him. And when Dave fucks him like they've got all the time in the world, Kirk can't help but sob uncontrollably.

Tears prickle at the corners of his eyes as Dave takes him gently, moving against his tense but pliant body as if he's afraid of shattering Kirk into a million little pieces. Dave notices, of course. It's not the first time Kirk's cried during sex and it wouldn't be the last. Despite the misconceptions people might have when they learn about Dave and Kirk's relationship, it wasn't just about the money or lifestyle of having a sugar daddy. Yes, that's how it originally started, but things change. People change.

Kirk is still very much human, as is Dave. He's emotional, expressive, and above all else he's insecure.

Having Dave ignore him for the past three days and then promptly tell him _everything's fine_ fucks with Kirk's head. It's not that he's afraid that Dave is cheating. Obviously, not. Don't be ridiculous... He's just worried of what might happen if Dave's past starts to catch up to him. He can't bear the thought of losing Dave after everything they've shared. And if Kirk decides he can't bottle it up and needs to have himself a cry during sex to make himself feel better, then so be it. No one's there to stop him.

Dave just holds him close and showers him in sweet little compliments while kissing his tears away as they roll down his unblemished cheeks. It's almost cathartic. It should make him feel self conscious, crying in front of Dave while his older lover thrusts into him gently, but it does the exact opposite. If anything, crying silently as Dave makes love to him is liberating in a way Kirk can't fully describe and on top of everything, Dave understands it. Maybe not entirely, but he rolls with the punches and takes care of Kirk regardless.

Kirk throws his arms around Dave's shoulders and buries his face into the crook of his neck, bawling more audibly now that they're a heap of sweat slick skin and messy hair. His wailing slowly dissipates into broken moaning as Dave continues to fuck him and causes Kirk's whimpers to sound as if he's forcefully choking back sobs. Kirk's whole body starts shaking as well and Dave can never tell if it's because the young man is emotional or from arousal. Perhaps both, in some weird way.

But Dave whispers words of encouragement into Kirk's ear, calling him endearments such as _angel, beautiful,_ and _sweetheart_ all while his hips press into Kirk's at a steady pace. His thrusts never speed up or falter, even as they both near completion, because Dave knows this is what Kirk needs right now. And, yeah, they could fuck like banshees on occasion and Dave can get Kirk to do the most filthy things imaginable under the right circumstances, but tonight wasn't one of those nights.

Instead, Kirk reaches his climax with his face soaked in fresh, as well as drying, tears. Dave doesn't even have to touch Kirk's erection because he's coming from the sheer grinding of Dave's cock against his prostate. His whole body seizes up from the impact and Kirk squeezes Dave tightly with every muscle of his being as he comes all over his abdomen. He's clutching at Dave so much that he rises off of the bed until he's just hanging from the ginger.

It's only now that Dave's permits himself to give one final forceful shove into Kirk's clenching body to send the brunette crumbling down against the mattress as Dave comes inside him. Kirk shudders, crying out like a wounded animal as he feels his connection to Dave solidify for the briefest moment. Kirk moans, choking back his cries, and loosens his grip on Dave just the slightest bit. Though he still doesn't fully let go.

They stay like this for awhile and Dave takes the opportunity to just nuzzle and kiss Kirk all over as the young man comes down from his physical and emotional high. After Kirk calms down a bit, Dave takes it upon himself to kiss Kirk on the lips. The kiss is tender and sweet, merely a whisper, but Kirk can taste the salt on Dave's lips and realizes it's from his tears. Kirk begins to apologize, feeling embarrassed as a result, but Dave quells his woes with a gentle tone and soft lips, ignoring as his phone buzzes on the bedside table.

That night, they make love three times. One time for each day Dave had neglected Kirk's needs.

Kirk is covered in sweat and his hair is frizzy and distressed by the end of it all that Dave's surprised either of them managed to go so many times in the span of a few hours. Kirk has stopped crying at this point and instead looks as though he might collapse from exhaustion. His cock is throbbing sorely and his body is all but covered in dried come as he lies there in a boneless heap against the damp sheets.

Dave is hovering above Kirk, panting heavily as he stares down at the aftermath. Kirk has never looked more exquisite than he does right now and Dave has to wonder how he had gotten so lucky. Money is what comes to mind initially, but their relationship had become more than that. I guess what Dave really means is how did he manage to get someone so divine to fall in love with him in the first place. Sometimes it almost seemed too good to be true…

But those thoughts come and go and eventually Dave finds it within himself to get up and clean Kirk up a little. They could both do with a shower right about now, but just as Dave tosses the towel away the kid pulls him down against the bed and curls up to him like a cat. Dave wraps his arms around Kirk and holds him in a tender embrace all while stroking his damp hair. The moment is only interrupted by Dave's phone buzzing on the nightstand. Kirk raises his gaze up from where his head lays on Dave's chest and shoots him an imploring look.

“Are you gonna answer that?” he inquires in a soft, yet haggard tone.

“It can wait,” Dave assures, smoothing away the curls sticking to Kirk's face.

“What if it's important?” Kirk surmises with a hint of worry.

“Nothing's more important than you, baby,” Dave states, holding Kirk possessively. He plants a kiss to the top of Kirk's head and smiles down at his younger lover. “Get some sleep. I'll still be here when you wake up. I promise.”

Kirk runs a hand up Dave's chest until it comes to rest over his heart and snuggles further into the ginger as he makes himself comfortable.

“I love you,” Kirk murmurs, eyes drifting close.

“Love you too, baby,” Dave replies ardently.

Kirk falls asleep almost instantly while Dave lies awake for a little while longer to watch the young man doze quietly. And for a second, everything _does_ feel like it's going to be fine, so long as Kirk stays nestled in his arms.

But Dave is in for a rude awakening come morning when he checks his phone to see that Menza has left three voicemails.


	3. Sweating Bullets

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Just a boring little plot developing chapter. Sorry it took so long to update! Just been super busy with work recently, but I'm hoping to get back into the swing of things :) Better chapters to come, I promise!

Dave wakes up the next morning with Kirk wrapped halfway around his body and burrowing into him for warmth. He carefully adjusts himself to look down at Kirk. His head is resting against his chest and he has an arm slung across Dave's waist as if he were cuddling a teddy bear. He smiles down at him briefly before his phone vibrates on the nightstand beside him. Dave does his best to not disturb Kirk and reaches over to snatch up his phone.

He settles back against the bed and unlocks his phone to see that he has quite a few missed messages. Two from James, one from Marty, and _three_ from Nick Menza himself. Dave curses under his breath and decides to get the hard part out of the way first before reading either of James or Marty's texts. That's what Dave liked about Marty and James, they sent texts. Menza, however, left voicemails so you could hear just how pissed off he really is. Dave clicks on the first voicemail, expecting the worst, but Menza is pretty tame for the most part. Calm, one could say.

_Okay, not so bad._

Except the next two make Dave cringe from how loud and irritated Menza's voice gets. Dave doesn't really get specifics on what Menza's saying, but there's plenty of colorful swear words he uses as well as some imaginative threats. The messages were all spaced out over the course of an hour, most likely when him and Kirk were making love, but nothing else came from him over the course of the night. The third and final voicemail ended abruptly with Menza demanding Dave show his sorry ass in his office by noon today.

Dave checks the time on his phone and notices he still has little over an hour to get ready and come up with a good excuse as to why he ignored Menza. He promised Kirk he'd still be here when he woke up and, as much as Dave hates himself for it, decides to take the lesser of two evils and gently shake the brunette awake. Kirk stirs after a moment and his eyes flutter up tiredly. He breathes in deeply through his nose and lets out a soft groan as he stretches against Dave. Kirk gazes up at Dave and gives him a drowsy little smile.

“G'morning,” Kirk mumbles against Dave's chest.

“Morning, baby.”

Kirk is always so beautiful when he wakes up, though Kirk would argue differently. He has the cutest bed head, especially after a night of sex, and he's always so relaxed. His youthful face looks even younger when he's still sleepy and his eyes are half-lidded. It makes Dave feel _old_ in comparison. Envious in a way, but appreciative nonetheless. Sometimes he looks at Kirk and wonders how he got so lucky. Sometimes it feels too good to be true.

“How'd you sleep?” Dave asks.

“Fine,” Kirk replies, nuzzling his face against Dave.

“Listen, sweetheart. I got an important meeting today, so I'm gonna have to step out for a little while. Alright?” Dave explains, brushing the curls out of Kirk's face.

“Is this about yesterday?” Kirk inquires, sounding slightly concerned.

“Kinda. I just gotta go talk to my boss and sort some things out,” Dave tells him, being as vague as he possibly can. Last thing he needs is Kirk worrying even more. “Nothing too serious. Just boring business stuff.”

“Can I go with you?” Kirk asks, starting to sit up slightly.

“It's best if you stay home,” Dave tells him, sitting up so that his back is pressed against the headboard. Kirk follows him, staying close. “My boss gets a little irritable around uninvited guests.”

“I can wait in the car,” Kirk offers, but he knows it's a losing battle.

“I don't know how long it'll take,” Dave admits and, even though that's the truth, he can't help but feel guilty when Kirk frowns. “Stay home, get some rest, and I'll bring you back some breakfast.”

“It'll be lunch by the time you get back,” Kirk points out and there's a smile spreading across his face that melts Dave's heart.

“Then I'll bring you lunch,” Dave quips, kissing Kirk on the forehead.

“You better… or else.”

“Or else what?” Dave questions with an amused tone.

“Or else I'll be really sad and hungry,” Kirk says with a self-deprecating laugh that almost sounds like a sob.

“I wouldn't let you starve,” Dave promises, tilting Kirk's face up towards his and giving him a soft kiss. He runs a hand through Kirk's messy bed head and flashes him a small side smile. “You wanna take a shower with me?”

“I think I'm gonna lay down for a bit longer.”

Dave shakes his head fondly.

“Don't stay in bed all day,” Dave chastises softly as he gets up and makes his way to the bathroom off-shooting the bedroom.

“Yes, _dad_ ,” Kirk replies sarcastically, earning him a quick glance back from Dave.

“Don't make me come back there,” Dave warns, making Kirk smile at the hollow threat.

“Is that a threat or a promise?” Kirk remarks with a sly grin.

As much as Dave would love nothing more than to stay in bed with Kirk all day, he knows that if he misses his meeting with Menza he'll be in deep shit. Besides, he's got a lot on his plate as of recently. Not just Menza breathing down his neck or the missing money. He's left Marty in charge of the club while he was off having a paranoia fueled breakdown. Marty is smart and reliable, don't get Dave twisted, but Dave didn't like the idea of _anyone_ being in charge of something that was _his_ for so long.

Just a quick check in would suffice if nothing else. That's probably why Marty had texted him last night saying they _needed to have a chat_ when Dave was free. So he'll swing by the club afterwards and see what's going on as well as clean out his office safe since keeping important shit there was no longer _safe_. The irony…

Dave begins to run the shower, extending his hand out to test the temperature of the water as it gradually heats up. He checks the texts James left him as he waits for the water to heat up. The first one reads: _Got some guys looking into the situation. Keep you posted._ Then another one around the same time Menza had called him last night saying: _Menza called. Sounded pissed. Tried calming him down. Should probably call him back immediately._

 _Well, it's a bit late for that,_ Dave thinks sardonically.

He shoots a text back to Marty to let him know he'll be stopping by the club today and sends another one to James telling him to meet up with him later also. He sets his phone on the counter and strips down before hopping into the shower to get himself cleaned up. He still damp with sweat from last night, but all of that washes away the moment Dave steps underneath the spray. He's kind of glad Kirk didn't join him after all, because the urge to ravage Kirk once again would be too strong to ignore and Dave needed to get his head in the game if he wants to walk away from Menza's office unscathed.

After that, Dave gets ready fairly quickly. He doesn't spend too much time getting ready on a normal day to begin with; his hair being the only thing he spends any amount of time on in the first place. He throws on his normal attire consisting of dark jeans, a leather jacket, and whatever button up he has lying around. Kirk watches him from the bed the entire time with a somewhat sleepy gaze, but they don't speak a word to each other. The silence is comfortable, though.

Dave stares back at Kirk through the reflection on the mirror as he straightens his collar out and gives him a warm smile. He turns back towards Kirk bundled up on the bed and takes a seat next to the cocoon the younger man has wrapped himself in. Dave looks down at Kirk as he brushes a stray curl or two out of his face. He's so beautiful and precious and Dave isn't sure what he'd do if something happened to Kirk. He has to keep reminding himself that Kirk's life is on the line here as well, which is why he makes himself clear before he leaves.

“Don't leave the house, okay? I want you to stay put until I get back,” Dave tells him, stroking a hand down the side of Kirk's face. “Understand?”

Kirk just nods in agreement, closing his eyes when Dave caresses a thumb across his cheek. He hates having to control Kirk like this, like he's a prisoner, but he knows there's no other way. The shit hasn't hit the fan yet, but he wants to keep Kirk safe at all costs just in case a storm is coming sooner rather later.

“Good. I'll be back soon,” Dave says, planting a kiss atop Kirk's fuzzy head. He cups Kirk's face in both of his hands and captures his lips in a deep, tender kiss that takes Kirk's breath away. “I love you, baby.”

“Love you too,” Kirk murmurs back. He nudges his nose against Dave's, lips curling inward slightly as he gazes up into the older man's eyes. “Be safe.”

“Cross my heart,” Dave promises.

And with that, Dave takes his leave as Kirk slinks back down into the covers and curls up in a ball.

 

Dave makes it over to Menza's place with thirty minutes to spare, figuring it’d be best if he shows up early. Suddenly, Dave felt like a scared child on their way to the dentist. His gut twists and knots at what unpleasantries await him inside and whether or not Menza will decide to be merciful or have him beat as a warning. Him and Menza go back as far as him and James, but Menza has a business to run just like anyone else and takes his shit seriously. So the prospect of coming out of this unscatched isn't very fucking likely.

Even if Dave doesn't get the shit kicked out of him today, there are always worse consequences.

So, he steps inside the nondescript building tucked away in some back alley in some shady part of town and makes his way to Menza's office after checking in with the secretary. It looks like the set of some old black and white noir movie, but the place is well looked after. It looks a lot nicer on the inside than it does outside. Eventually Dave reaches the end of the hall and knocks on the foggy glass of the door. _Nick Menza_ is spelt out in bold black letters on the glass and nothing else. Nothing more needs to be said or alluded to. Everyone knows Nick Menza and what he does and seeing his name on this door was more often than not a precursor to a death knell.

Despite the circumstances, Dave was still confident that he could salvage this shit storm of a situation. Menza would listen to Dave, surely.

He's taken out of his musings when he hears a firm shout from inside the room. Dave takes this as his cue to open the door and step inside. He shuts the door behind him and turns around to be face to face with his _boss_ , for lack of a better word. Menza was sitting behind his desk busying himself with various files, sparing only a modicum of his attention when he tells Dave to _take a seat_.

Nick Menza isn't the most intimidating man as far as looks go, but his reputation isn't anything to scoff at. If Dave was more young and naive he'd be cocky enough to say he could take Menza no problem, but the man was a lot tougher than he appeared and more ruthless than anyone in this business. Dave has to tread lightly and keeps his mouth shut until Menza decides he's ready to give Dave the time of day.

He sits there in silence for about a half hour, waiting for Menza to finish up what he's doing before the other man finally collects up all his papers and sets them aside. Dave spares a glance towards the clock hanging on the wall and realizes this isn't on accident. The clock has just struck noon, the time Menza had told Dave to show up, and Dave has to smirk at the irony of being kept waiting. Serves him right, he supposes.

Menza folds his hands together on the surface of his desk, leans forward slightly, and clears his throat.

“You know, when I call someone I expect them to pick up the first time,” Menza states, not quite looking Dave in the eye as he mulls over the words in his head. “Not the second or third time. The _first_ time.”

Dave sits there staring at the other man warily as his palms start to sweat. He feels like a kid about to be reprimanded for breaking a window despite the calmness of Menza's voice. The atmosphere is so tense it makes Dave fidget as he tries not to squirm in his chair.

“But _you_ have gone above and beyond that by not answering at all. And it makes me have to inquire as to why you would think it's a smart idea to ignore me, Mustaine,” Menza concludes as he finally looks up at the ginger with a stern expression.

“I was dealing with some shit,” Dave says, knowing his excuse sounded lame.

“I'm not a fucking mind reader, Mustaine,” Menza says a little more firmly this time and dave can tell his patience is wearing thin. “I don't care if your mother is in the hospital pissing all over herself and being fed through a tube. You better have a good fucking reason for dodging my calls and being late on your payment for the third time in a row.”

“Well since you mention it, the reason I neglected to answer your call _is_ because of your next payment,” Dave tells him.

“Care to fucking elaborate? I don't have time to play twenty questions, you cryptic piece of shit,” Menza barks, and now he's getting pissed.

Dave is flirting on a thin grey line with how far he can push Menza before he gets the shit kicked out of him. This isn't even a fraction of how pissed Menza can get when given the runaround, and Dave is surprised the other man hasn't threatened him yet, but he wasn't about to press his luck further.

“Someone's been embezzling money, _your money_ , outta my safe for the past three months,” Dave divulges, allowing himself to raise his voice and get a little fired up with anger. “I missed your calls because I was busy trying to track down the sonofabitch responsible!”

Menza seems to consider this for a moment, looking down at the top of his desk briefly before shooting his gaze back up at Dave.

“Let me just say this out loud so I can get it straight in my head,” Menza begins, speaking slowly as the words bounce around the tense space between them. “You were actually stupid enough to let someone rob you blind out from under your nose, multiple times by the way, and you have _no fucking clue_ as to who it was? Is that what you're telling me?”

“Well, when you put it like that…”

“How dumb do you think am I to believe some bullshit like that?” Menza accuses, glaring over at Dave from across his desk.

“Why would I lie to you, Nick?” Dave argues, feeling offended that Menza didn't trust his word.

“Because you'd say anything to save your own ass,” Menza argues, being flippant with his attitude. “And don't call me _Nick_. I ain't your fucking _friend_ , Mustaine!”

“I've never missed one payment since I got into this business. Not a single _one_ ,” Dave states. He's leaning forward now and drumming his fist on Menza's desk. “And now that someone's _stealing_ from me, you're gonna have the _audacity_ to call me a liar? I have nothing to gain from lying to you and you know it! So don't insult me by calling me a fucking liar!”

“Are you done? Or are you gonna keep throwing a goddamn tantrum?” Menza inquires.

“Fuck you.”

Menza just laughs at this. Dave was done at this point and he didn't appreciate the fact that Menza was mocking him. Sure, Dave had embellished a few details, but the fact still remained that he was being stolen from which was the same as stealing from Menza himself. Dave knows he shouldn't be pushing Menza like he is, but all he can think about is Kirk. If he can't appeal to Menza and get him to actually fucking listen, then he's screwed.

“You know what I like most about you, Mustaine?” Menza asks rhetorically, grinning from ear to ear as he watches Dave's face turn bright red with anger. “You're the only one who's brave enough to say some shit like that to me and not think twice about it. I don't know whether I should kiss you or have you castrated.”

“Yeah, I’d rather fucking die than kiss you,” Dave retorts with a scoff.

“Good to know I'm not your type. Then again, you tend to go after the dumb, bright-eyed twinks at your club,” Menza comments, letting the tension dissipate slightly. “Speaking of which, how's your little boy toy?”

“His name is Kirk,” Dave reminds him, hating the way Menza brings him into the conversation. It makes Dave antsy.

“His name can be Margaret Thatcher for all I care,” Menza snaps. He pauses for a moment and a smile spreads across his face slowly as a thought occurs to him. “Maybe _he's_ the one stealing your money.”

“He wouldn't do that,” Dave states resolutely.

“Why? Because he sucks your dick?” Menza remarks with a wry smile.

“No, because he loves me,” Dave proclaims like it's the end all be all, but Menza just laughs in his face like he's a moron.

“Boys like him will do and say anything to get what they want. Before you know it, you're wrapped around their finger and, whaddya know? The money starts to go missing,” Menza deduces.

Dave doesn't like the way he talks about Kirk or what he's trying to imply, but Dave plays it cool, knowing that he's pushed Menza enough for one day and doesn't really want to try and be snarky anymore.

“You don't know Kirk like I do.”

“Naiveté aside, this little _situation_ we've found ourselves in can't go unnoticed,” Menza says, getting down to business, as it were. “You owe me a lot of money, Mustaine. And I'm sorry some piece of shit, low life had the gall to steal from you, but the fact still remains that I, _too_ , have a business to run and a reputation to uphold at the end of the day. So the question is, how does this get resolved?”

“All I need is a week and you'll have your money.”

“I'm giving you two days.”

“ _Two days?_ You gotta be fucking kidding me,” Dave complains, getting bent out of shape.

“I could always just break your thumbs right now,” Menza threatens. “Maybe that would motivate you a little.”

“Five,” Dave barters, trying to haggle more time out of Menza while he still can.

“Three.”

Dave scoffs and shakes his head.

“You're lucky I'm even showing you mercy after the way you've been speaking to me today,” Menza brings up, using a firm tone with Dave that gets the ginger to cool it with the attitude. “But since I respect you so much, I'm gonna be generous and give you three days. That's my final offer. Take it or leave it.”

It's better than two days, Dave supposes, but it doesn't stop him from wanting to complain. He imagined this going a lot more differently, but he's grateful that it's gone as well as it has. Still not the most ideal outcome, but he's bought himself some time. All he has to do now is play it smart and pray to God that James has a lead for him. _Anything_.

“I guess I'm in no position to be making demands and if that's the best I'm gonna get, then that's what I have to settle for,” Dave relents, heaving out a sigh.

“Then it's a deal,” says Menza, sticking his hand out towards Dave to shake on it. “Three days starting tomorrow, you better have my money. Or else me and my boys are gonna pay little Kirk a visit. And he's not gonna like what I have in store for him.”

Dave shakes Menza's hand, not saying a word to him as he gets up to leave the other man's office. He wants to run his mouth just for that little insult right at the end, but Dave's aware that he's already overstayed his welcome. Besides, he just wants to get out of here as soon as possible. He needs to talk to Marty and James before he completely loses his mind. Not to mention Kirk's waiting for him at home. Dave wants nothing more than to hold the sweet little brunette in his arms and tell him everything's going to be alright. But first, he has to make that a reality, because as of right now he's on thin fucking ice.

And just as Dave's leaving, Menza imparts on him a little warning that Dave can't ignore.

“I'm sticking my neck out for you, Mustaine,” Menza tells him. “Don't make me regret it.”

Dave shuts the door behind him and makes his way out of the building. His heart is pounding in his chest and despite the fact that he's still standing on his own two feet, he expects to be blindsided by some crony of Menza's. But it never happens. A wave of relief washes over him the moment he climbs into his car and turns on the engine. He takes a deep breath and exhales slowly, repeating this until he's finally calmed down. Dave allows the pent up adrenaline to run its course before deciding to take off towards the club.

He might have dodged a bullet today, but there's no telling what lies ahead in the days to come.


	4. I've Got To Break Free

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Figured it's time for an update. I wanted to focus on Kirk this time and some other characters, so I hope you all enjoy it! Spoiler alert: The plot slightly thickens!

Kirk lays in bed for another ten minutes after Dave has left before he feels compelled to roll off the mattress. He drags himself to the bathroom and looks at his reflection in the mirror. He's got vague circles under his eyes, his hair's a mess, and he feels slightly sore from last night. Not to mention his skin feels tacky to the touch. After a few moments of studying himself in the mirror, Kirk pulls off his underwear and clambers into the shower to rinse away the previous night.

As he's washing himself off Kirk kicks himself for not taking a shower with Dave. He could've spent a little more time with him, no matter how brief it might have been. He misses Dave already even though he's just left, but it's the thought of Dave not returning that haunts Kirk more than anything. Kirk never used to worry about such things, but Dave's been changing over the past few months and it's starting to weigh down on him. His thoughts plague him as he reflects quietly under the warm stream.

They were happy before, right? Kirk didn't just imagine that in his head? What the hell happened to them? Why was Dave acting weird _now_ after all this time?

He tries not to think about it as he finishes cleaning up and towels himself down. He dries his hair and puts on a fresh outfit before snatching up his phone and heading downstairs. Kirk goes through the motions like any other day: making coffee despite the fact that it makes his stomach ache, grabbing a quick snack, and plopping down on the couch in the living room. He flips the tv on and switches it to a random channel, using it as background noise as he fiddles around on his phone.

Not too surprising that he's got a few notifications. Mostly spam for his email, an update on one of his apps, and a text from his mother. Kirk can't help but feel like a loser as he wonders what happened to his social life. He used to have one, but he hasn't seen or talked to any of his old friends he worked with once upon a time. It's been months since he's seen Jason and Junior, not to mention Cliff, but he figures it's all because of Dave.

It's not like Dave kept him locked away for the past three months (only just recently, actually) but the stress of not knowing what's going on has left Kirk in a depression of sorts. He hasn't wanted to visit or talk to anyone, and now that Dave is being cryptic and withholding important shit from him, Kirk feels the need to vent to anyone that'll listen. He was good friends with the other dancers at the club, Junior possibly being his best friend, but they haven't spoke in such a long time.

Kirk can't stand being cooped up in this house for however long Dave intends to do so. He needs to get out, if only for a little while. He knows Dave will be upset if he finds out he snuck out, but he isn't giving Kirk much of a choice is he? He doesn't dwell on it or overthink it and sends Junior a text. _Gonna stop by the club. Seeya soon!_ He hits send and is out the front door before he even gets a reply back.

 _Can't wait!_ Is Junior's response as Kirk waits for his Uber to arrive.

The drive itself takes about fifteen minutes before Kirk gets to his destination. He pays the driver and makes his way to the establishment. He hasn't been here in so long that it feels weird to step through the front door and be greeted by the the cool dim atmosphere painted in iridescent neons. Nothing's really changed in the past couple of months, which shouldn't be all that surprising to be honest. Maybe a few new faces, but generally still the same.

“Kirk, what are you doing here?”

He turns around and is greeted by Marty who is regarding him with a curious gaze.

“I just stopped by to see how everyone was doing,” Kirk says, giving Marty a brief smile. “I've been away for so long.”

Marty's eyes flick up and down Kirk like he's trying to inspect every aspect of the brunette. There's a lingering in the way Marty looks at him, much in the same vein men looked at him when he used to dance here. It doesn't make Kirk feel uncomfortable though. He got familiar with people staring at him like that. Besides this was _Marty_. He felt about as comfortable around Marty as he does with Dave.

“You certainly have. You're looking good, though,” Marty compliments. He glances around briefly as if he's looking for someone. “Dave with you?”

“No. He said he had an important meeting and I was bored, so I took an Uber here,” Kirk explains.

“I've missed you. Thought Dave finally snapped and locked you away all to himself,” Marty jokes, flashing a light hearted grin.

“You could always come over and visit, ya know,” Kirk points out with a snarky tone.

“True, but that might be a little unprofessional.”

“You're a friend, Marty. I know Dave is your boss or whatever, but you're still our friend,” Kirk reassures, reaching out to grab Marty's hand tenderly.

“Yeah, well… You know how Dave can be sometimes,” Marty says with a vague gesture of his other hand. “I don't blame him for wanting to protect what's his, but I miss seeing you. It's been too long since last time.”

Kirk blushes, feeling guilty at the thought of neglecting Marty. Him and Marty shared a _moment_ together just before Kirk stopped showing up at the club a couple months ago. A moment that changed their relationship to something _more_. Kirk had connected with Marty and vice versa, but Kirk's sudden and noticeable departure stunted that a little. It was nice to know that Marty kind of understood why, though.

“We'll definitely have to catch up one of these days,” Kirk suggests as he pulls Marty in for a hug. “Just the two of us.”

Marty wraps his arms around Kirk tightly and nestles his face into the side of Kirk's head. One hand dipped low on Kirk’s back and lingered there as Kirk melted into the embrace. It felt soothing to be around friends again and it helped to calm him down a bit. Marty's other hand cupped the back of Kirk's head and gave his hair a tender little tug of affection. They part after their brief reconciliation, though Kirk can tell Marty doesn't really want to let go.

“You should call or text me later. You can always do that, ya know,” Marty teases, using the same sass Kirk had used on him earlier.

“I know, I know. I have no excuse,” Kirk relents with a smile.

“Well, I gotta get back to work,” Marty dismisses, squeezing Kirk's shoulder before making his way over towards the bar.

For the next half hour or so Kirk spends his time catching up with a few old friends, including Cliff. Cliff isn't exactly a bouncer, but he does act as a form of security if anyone tries to start a fight or harrasses any of the dancers. He's kind of skinny and lanky, but he's got a lot of height on him that's more than enough to intimidate. There's been plenty of times Cliff had to kick someone out because they were getting _fresh_ with Kirk. For that, Kirk’s always felt safe and secure around Cliff.

After that, he maneuvers his way over towards his oldest and most closest friend. He approaches the scantily clad man from behind and greets him.

“Junior! As I live and breathe,” Kirk introduces with embellishment.

"Kirk, what brings you to my neck of the woods?” Junior greets with a warm smile as he turns around. “Come to get your job back or something?"

"Just dropping by to see how everyone's doing,” Kirk says as he brings the other man in for a hug.

Junior's body is slightly sweaty, from dancing up on stage no doubt, but it doesn't really bother Kirk all that much. Junior was like a brother to him. He was the first friend he made here and has stuck by his side ever since.

"Finally get sick of living in the lap of luxury with your _sugar daddy_?" Junior taunts with a good-natured tone, slightly out of breath.

"Shut up! Dave isn't my sugar daddy,” Kirk complains with a roll of his eyes.

"Then what would you call it?"

"Boyfriend who spoils me on occasion."

" _Barf..._ " Junior scoffs, but there's a hint of playfulness to it.

"So what's going man?" Kirk asks, changing the subject.

"What? Whaddya mean?" Junior questions. He sounds almost defensive.

"I mean, like, what's going on in life right now?” Kirk clarifies. “Give me the whole rundown, man.”

“Not much has happened, really. Just been working. I'm trying to get back into college soon,” Junior tells him, grabbing a towel so he can wipe himself down a bit. “Not sure yet.”

“You should do it, man. I know _I_ would if given the chance.”

“You could _easily_ get into college with the help of your _sugar daddy_ ,” Junior scoffs with an air of admonishment.

Kirk can detect a slight pinch of animosity in the way Junior delivers his reply, but Junior's always been like that. He's prone to envy in some ways, which he's attributed to growing up poor, but Kirk doesn't think that's the reason why. Still, Kirk knows when to drop a subject.

“Are you still seeing what's his name?"

" _Lars?_ No. Me and him broke it off a couple months ago,” Junior says with a dismissive brush off. “You'd know that if you bothered to text me every now and again."

"I know. I'm sorry,” Kirk apologizes, feeling the shame wash over him once again. “I've just been dealing with some things."

"What do _you_ have to worry about these days? It's not like you're working in this hellhole."

"It's not that bad here," Kirk declares.

"Oh, please..." Junior sighs.

"It's not! I used to work here too remember? There are worse places to be,” Kirk reminds him, knowing how Junior blows things out of proportion.

“That's easy for you to say. You're the cute one,” Junior bemoans, but the smirk has returned to his face.

“That's rich coming from the sweet little innocent blonde,” Kirk retorts with a smirk of his own.

“ _Honey_ , no one's innocent here,” Junior states. “Anyone who says otherwise is just trying to sell you something.”

They share a hearty laugh that's sure to lighten the mood. Kirk can't help but notice they're like two gossip queens bitching about the industry and it's the most normal he's felt in a long time. He knew visiting Junior would bring his spirits up a little.

"So, what's up man? You said you were dealing with some stuff?” Junior inquires.

"It's Dave. He's been acting kinda strange lately,” Kirk admits. He gets the sinking feeling he shouldn't be saying anything, but Kirk trusts Junior.

" _Uh oh_. Trouble in paradise?"

"Not exactly…” Kirk says slowly. “It's just, when he's having problems he doesn't really open up and tell me what's going on. He either works or stays up in his study all the time."

“Do you ever think that maybe he's seeing someone else?” Junior suggests, opting to choose his words carefully.

“Dave wouldn't cheat on me,” Kirk states adamantly.

"Hey, man, I'm just saying... Ya never know with his type,” Junior offers with a nonchalant shrug of his shoulders. “He could have someone sleeping under the same roof without you even knowing."

"This is a bit more serious than high school drama, Junior,” Kirk complains, and now he's getting worried and antsy again. “He was talking about the club."

"Really? Like what?" Junior whispers, stepping close to Kirk as if he's about to tell him a secret.

"He said something about _asking questions_ and looking for someone _suspicious_ ,” Kirk divulges, mirroring Junior. “I don't know all the details, obviously, but he made it sound like a big deal. He had this big guy over and was giving him orders."

" _Big guy?_ ” Junior asks with a puzzled expression. “You recognize him?"

"No, but Dave said they were old friends. He has short, blonde hair and a bunch of tattoos."

" _James_ ,” Junior murmurs thoughtfully.

"What? You've met him before?"

"I've seen him a couple times in the club, but I always stayed away from him,” Junior discloses, making sure no one was listening to them.

"Why?"

"He's a _cleaner_ , Kirk. If you need someone to disappear, you call James Hetfield,” Junior confides in him. He grabs Kirk by the wrist and pulls him off to the side a little to ensure more privacy. “A while back they hired on this new guy, everything was going perfectly fine for a few weeks. Then one day him and James got into an argument. Kid took a swing at him and Dave ended up dragging him up to his office.”

“Okay..?” Kirk says slowly.

“ _With_ James,” Junior finishes.

"What was the argument about?" Kirk goes onto ask, intrigued now.

"Not sure, but after that no one ever saw him again."

“Who was he?"

"He was just some kid our age. Naive and dumb. But if I were you, I'd stay away from James at all costs,” Junior warns, and it seems genuine enough.

But Junior was always on about conspiracies and gossip, so it was hard for Kirk to believe despite the encounter from yesterday. Kirk wasn't in a position to trust James, per se, and Kirk wouldn't put it past James if he _has_ killed someone, but a dumb kid? Kirk was skeptical.

"You can't actually believe that he murdered some random kid because he tried to punch him, right?” Kirk brushes off with a weak laugh. “I mean, that sounds like some shitty campfire story."

"Hey man, I'm just telling you what I saw,” Junior relents, holding his hands up in surrender. “The facts speak for themselves."

"It sounds to me like the kid got fired,” Kirk deduces logically, much to Junior's annoyance.

"If that's what you wanna believe…” Junior submits with a heavy sigh.

"Hey, speaking of _missing persons_ , have you seen Jason? I've been trying to find him, but no one's seen him,” Kirk brings up.

"He didn't want me to tell anyone, but he had to take some time off,” Junior tells the brunette, disclosing what info he has.

"Is that like a euphemism for something cryptic or..?" Kirk trails off.

"He went back to his hometown to visit family,” Junior explains.

"Was he homesick or something?"

He's pretty much known Jason for as long as he's known Junior and the thought of Jason leaving without so much as a text or phone call worried Kirk greatly. Jason is very social and forthcoming. It's not like him to just leave without a word. Sure, he told Junior, but Kirk likes to think him and Jason are close as well.

"I don't know. Death in the family maybe? He sounded pretty distraught when he told me he was leaving."

"I can imagine…” Kirk says morosely. “Well, if he calls you can you tell him I said hi and that I miss him."

"Sure thing, pal,” Junior promises, pulling Kirk into another hug. Junior steps away slightly and looks over Kirk's shoulder. “Break time's over,” he sighs dramatically.

Kirk turns around to see who spooked Junior and his heart drops slightly because he knows he's in trouble now.


	5. Running In Circles, Coming Up Tails

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hold onto your butts, 'cus shit's 'bout to get dramatic as hell. I was trying to ruminate further on paranoia and doubt to build up a little mystery, so I hope it worked out!

Kirk was going over a million excuses in his head he could use to explain himself, but there was no point. He knew he was in trouble the moment he saw the disappointment in the other man's eyes. He offers a shy and guilty smile, fully aware that he had done something wrong. Like a puppy about to be scolded for making a mess.

“Kirk…” Dave says with a heavy sigh. He approaches the smaller man and reaches out to cup the back of his neck tenderly. “I told you to stay home.”

“I know. I'm sorry,” Kirk begins to apologize, but there's no getting around Dave.

“I give you one simple order to follow and you can't even do that,” Dave berates.

His hand has wound its way into Kirk's hair now, squeezing the curls almost painfully hard. Dave presses in close to Kirk, making the atmosphere that much more intimate as Dave's voice drops low. He's seen Dave mad, but he's never managed to piss Dave off himself and wonders just how big of a shit storm he's got himself in this time.

“I thought I made myself crystal clear. What did I say?”

“You said _stay put_.”

“I did. And what did you do?”

“I didn't listen…”

“What were you thinking?” Dave asks, holding Kirk's head in place by the scruff of his neck.

Kirk looks up into Dave's eyes timidly, managing to hold his brooding gaze despite the overwhelming need to curl in on himself and hide forever. On the bright side of things, Dave seemed to be more let down than angry. Dave's voice was a low dangerous rumble and his body heat radiated off of him. Even though this was essentially Kirk getting reprimanded, he couldn't help the way his cheeks seemed to heat up.

“I was dying of boredom watching tv all day,” Kirk complains, pouting slightly because he can't help himself. “I just wanted to get out and see my friends for _one_ hour. Is that so bad?”

“It's bad when you have to go behind my back,” Dave clarifies.

“And you would've just let me go if I asked for permission first? Give me a break...” Kirk gripes, folding his arms over his chest as he glances away.

This prompts Dave to let go of Kirk's hair a little and cup his face in his hands instead. After some hesitancy on Kirk's part, Dave eventually gets Kirk to look him in the eye once again. Dave wants to be mad that Kirk deliberately disobeyed a simple order, but he can't blame the brunette entirely. He didn't exactly stress how important it was for Kirk to stay home, but what could he have said? _Menza threatened to put a hit out on you and your life might be in danger?_ Dave takes a deep breath and exhales slowly.

“Do you think I enjoy doing this to you?”

“How am I supposed to know? You probably get off on controlling me,” Kirk says with an air of despondency.

“Everything I do, I do for a reason,” Dave tells him in a firm tone. “I wouldn't be doing this if I didn't think it was for your own good.”

“Then tell me that. Don't just leave me in the dark,” Kirk bemoans, getting particularly heated by Dave's insistence on being willfully stubborn.

“I know, baby. I'm sorry,” Dave murmurs, kissing Kirk on the forehead.

“I guess you're taking me home now, huh?” Kirk surmises with a pout.

“I promised Marty I'd check in on things here,” Dave explains, using a softer tone now as he brushes a few curls out of Kirk's face like a protective parent. “So I'm gonna have a little chat with him and then we'll go get some lunch. Sound good?”

“Food always sounds good,” Kirk replies, letting himself smile now that he knows Dave isn't upset with him.

“Will you be alright waiting for me down here?” Dave asks, caressing Kirk's face in his big hands.

“I'll be fine,” Kirk promises. He stands up on the tips of his toes and kisses the older man on the lips. “I'm sorry I snuck out.”

“It's okay, sweetheart. I'm not mad,” Dave assures, holding his lover close. “I just worry about you. That's all.”

“Why? What's _really_ going on, Dave?” Kirk inquires, staring up at Dave with big imploring eyes.

“I'm just in a little bit of trouble right now,” Dave admits, choosing his words carefully.

“What kind of trouble?” Kirk questions.

“The club hit a tiny financial snag. But it'll be fixed in a few days. After that, everything will be back to normal, I promise,” Dave says. “Have you seen Marty?”

“Yeah, he was over by the bar last time I saw him,” Kirk informs, letting go of the older man reluctantly.

“Alright. I won't be long.”

Dave cupped the side of Kirk's face and kisses him on the cheek before setting out to find Marty, leaving Kirk to stand idly by the wayside of the main stage. Dave couldn't stop himself from being upset with Kirk even after he stressed how important it was to stay home. He understands the younger man's need to get out every now and again, but Dave couldn't afford to make any mistakes. Especially now that he has limited time in order to straighten this all out.

Menza said he wouldn't be making any moves until after the deadline, but he never specified whether or not he'd send a few of his goons to scope out the club. He couldn't take any chances. He only left Kirk alone now because Cliff was nearby. The kid didn't look like much, but he could hold his own just fine. Besides, Menza wouldn't cause a scene in front of this many witnesses.

He spots Marty talking with the bartender and walks over. It isn't too busy right now since it's the afternoon, probably only a few patrons at the bar and a handful of others scattered around watching the dancers. He can afford to pull Marty aside for a quick chat. Marty glances over and notices Dave, cutting his conversation short with the bartender and coming over to greet Dave.

“Hey, Dave. I was wondering when you'd show up,” Marty says as they both go in for a hug.

“I said I would, so here I am,” Dave responds. He nods his head in the direction of the stairs leading up to a loft and beckons Marty to follow him. “Lets go to my office.”

They head up to Dave's office with the ginger looking around suspiciously along the way. Marty follows close behind, no questions asked despite the overwhelming curiosity. Dave spies Junior getting up on one of the smaller stages scattered around the dance floor and watches him briefly as he trudged up the staircase. _Odd_ , Dave thought. _Junior usually works evenings ‘cus he can pull in a crowd._

“Why's Junior working an afternoon shift?” Dave inquires, pausing at the door of his office to address Marty.

Marty gazes over towards the dancer in question and looks back at Dave.

“I think he's covering for Jason,” Marty supplies.

“And where's Jason?” Dave asks next.

“I believe he requested some time off.”

“And you didn't bother to say anything?”

“It was on my list of things,” Marty replies like a smartass.

Dave unlocks the door, taking note that it is in fact locked, and they step inside the privacy of the office. Dave has a quick look around to see if anything is out of place even the slightest bit, but finds nothing. No one's been in here since he's been gone, or so he assumes. Marty has his own office in the back and has no need for Dave's office, hence why Dave is the only one with a set of keys to this particular room. Still, it didn't make sense as to why money has gone missing from his safe.

Someone could pick the lock to the door, surely, seeing as how Dave's office isn't exactly Fort Knox, but the question remained: how did they open the safe? No one knew the combination, not consciously at least, so it left Dave wondering… Who and how? His paranoia slinks back into the recesses of his mind for the time being as he takes a seat behind his desk and motions for Marty to do the same. Marty takes a look around too, though Dave isn't too sure as to why.

“So, what have you got for me?” Dave asks, seeing as how Marty was the one who reached out to talk first.

“Nothing too crazy. There's some shipments of alcohol that need signing off on and, as you've noticed, the whole scheduling situation,” Marty discloses, getting down to business. “I know a few of the dancers have certain times and days requested off, but I didn't have access to those files from my computer.”

“Okay, we'll get to all that in a second. There's something important I need to tell you and it can't leave this office,” Dave tells him. He still isn't sure if he should be telling people about the situation, but Dave's hands are tied.

“What is it?” Marty inquires and his face instantly creases in confusion.

“I had a talk with Menza before I came here.”

“ _And?_ ”

“My payment is late.”

“What do you mean _it's late_? I thought you were always on top of that?”

Marty looked as if he couldn't believe what he was hearing, but there wasn't hint of accusation in his tone. Dave thought to himself that Marty appeared to be genuinely shocked by the news, but there was still that part of Dave that secretly wondered if it was all just an act. Maybe Marty was the traitor. Maybe he wasn't. Dave couldn't tell anymore.

“I am…” Dave says, then adds, “I _was_.”

“Why is it late in the first place?” Marty goes on to question, sitting forward in his chair now.

“Someone broke into my safe. And not just once. This is the third time it's happened,” Dave explains, trying to remain as calm as possible. He's had to tell this story three times now and it never got easier. “I thought I was losing my mind the first two times, but now I know what's really going on.”

“Why the hell didn't you tell me sooner?” Marty accuses, knowing that Dave probably doesn't trust him.

“I'm telling you now. And don't raise your voice at me,” Dave warns with a firm tone that gets Marty to cool it.

“Sorry,” Marty apologizes, losing his attitude quickly. He stares across the desk over at Dave, noticing how haggard he looks. “How could they have broken in?”

“That's what I'm trying to figure out.”

“Who else knows?”

“Just you and James,” Dave reveals, forgoing mentioning Menza because that was blatantly obvious.

“You talked to James already?” Marty questions and he sounds a little hurt.

“Only just yesterday. I wasn't sure who I could trust at the time,” Dave answers honestly and, yeah, Marty looks kind of betrayed, but can he really blame him? “I'm still not sure.”

“What about Kirk?”

“He knows _something_ is wrong, but I've been trying to keep him as far away from the situation as possible.”

“Is that why he's out galavanting?” Marty remarks sarcastically.

“I didn't give him permission. He's here because he didn’t listen to me,” Dave snaps. He doesn't like the tone Marty's using with him, but Marty is understandably stressed. “I can't exactly babysit him constantly. Especially not now.”

“I could keep an eye on him,” Marty offers.

“No, I need you _here_ to look after things,” Dave says. He knows Marty's heart is in the right place, but Dave's already made plans. “Besides, James is more well equipped for protecting Kirk.”

“Hetfield is a hired gun. I mean, money talks if the price is right,” Marty points out suspiciously. “Do you think he can be trusted with something so important?”

“I've known James for half my life. He's been by my side since the beginning,” Dave informs, though Marty is more than familiar with his and James’ history. He points an accusatory finger at the smaller man. “That man has done time in prison for me and never asked for anything in return. And after all this time you actually think he'd roll over on me for money? Is that what you're implying Marty?”

“I'm just reminding you of the possibility that you might not be able to trust _everyone_. No matter how far you go back,” Marty replies in a calm and even tone, jaw flexing from how nervous he really is right now. “I'm not saying be paranoid. Just be wary of who you trust. That's all.”

Dave was about to say something else, but there was a knock at the door that made him lose his train of thought.

 

James arrived at the club a little past one in the afternoon. He had called Dave just after his meeting with Menza and said he'd make his way over so they could discuss what James had dug up. It's been awhile since James has visited Dave's establishment, probably half a year if memory serves him right, and wondered if anything had changed. There were a couple of new faces he didn't recognize, but then again James never came here in the afternoon. Evening was the time to come. All the best dancers were booked for evenings.

But he didn't have time to ogle because he was here on business. He looked around on the main floor to see if Dave was anywhere milling around, but found only the half dozen patrons and dancers scattered amongst the room. He did, however, manage to spy a petite little brunette standing off to the side next to a taller kid. He recognized the brunette as Dave's partner _Kirk_ and the other man as _Cliff_. But no Dave in sight. He approached the young man, figuring he'd know where Dave was. The conversation Kirk was having died down when he spotted James walking over to him and he visibly tensed.

James couldn't help but notice the way Kirk sort of curled in towards Cliff's side slightly. It's almost as if he was trying to shield himself away from James.

“Hey there,” James greets.

“Hi,” Kirk offers meekly.

Cliff just nods at him.

“I'm sorry to bother you, but is Dave here?” James asks politely.

“He's up in his office with Marty,” Kirk supplies, wrapping his arms around Cliff's right arm.

“I guess that makes sense,” James says with a brief chuckle, hoping to bring a little levity to the awkward exchange.

But for some reason Kirk was adamant on being skittish. He can't really blame the kid for being curt or wanting to shy away from him. James is a complete stranger. Kirk has no reason to trust him.

“Thanks for the tip,” James says before taking his leave.

He climbs the stairs to Dave's office with some hustle and raps his knuckles against its surface. He could hear Marty finishing his sentence just in time for the room to fall deathly quiet for a short moment before Dave's voice calls out to him.

“Door's open!” Dave shouts.

James steps inside. Marty's sitting across from Dave, turning around in his chair slightly to cast a curious look over at James. They share a brief exchange of silent acknowledgement as Dave directs him to sit in the chair next to Marty's.

“Have a seat. I'll be with you in a second,” Dave tells him, turning his attention back to Marty. He fixes the brunette with a more lax expression. “You just let me worry about what's happening outside the club, alright? In the meantime, I'll set it up so you have access to the schedules.”

“Thank you,” Marty says, getting up out of his chair, knowing that their conversation has now ended.

“And I'll be down there in a minute to sign whatever papers you need signed,” Dave adds before Marty leaves the room.

The door shuts with a soft click and James is left all alone with Dave. The ginger lets out a heavy sigh and James wouldn't be surprised if he's been doing that all day. He knows Dave is going to do it even more once he's told him what he was able to find out. The stress keeps piling on and here James comes to shovel on some more.

“I swear that kid is a smartass sometimes,” Dave mumbles with a shake of his head. He looks over at James and rubs at the bridge of his nose. “Anyway, what's up?”

"I had my colleague Rob look into the situation and ask around the club for any suspicious activity,” James says, starting out strong and confident.

Yesterday after James left Dave's house he called up his good friend and colleague Rob Trujillo. He was an ex-hitman turned informant and worked with many businesses and subsidiaries in the past. He had no personal ties with anyone, unlike James, but he remained ever loyal and faithful to James when he needed him. His relationship with Rob was much like his relationship with Dave. Though, James would be more inclined to trust his life with Dave when it came down to it.

"Anything useful?" Dave presses, looking expectant.

"There was _one_ thing, but I'm not sure how helpful it is," replies the other man with a hesitant tone.

The info he has is of somewhat importance as far as current matters go, but it wasn't the most informed intel he could have brought to the table. Still, it was _something_ nonetheless.

"Tell me,” Dave insists and he's starting to get impatient now.

He doesn't know what to expect from James, but the suspense was slowly eating away at him and if he isn't put out of his misery soon his head would surely implode. It certainly perpetuates matters even further when James lets out a heavy sigh, folds his hands together, and leans forward in his chair to look Dave in the eye.

"Before I do, you gotta promise to keep your cool and just hear what I have to say first,” James beseeches, trying to get the other man to calm down beforehand.

"What is it?" Dave urges.

"Rob wasn't able to find out anything too incriminating, but he had a little chat with your boy Cliff."

"Quit yanking my chain and just tell me already,” Dave reiterates, sounding very distressed and unamused by this point. James isn't doing it on purpose, but it's beginning to irritate Dave.

"Apparently, Cliff said he saw Kirk and Marty go into your office together,” James admits. He holds Dave's gaze and adds, “ _Alone_."

The expression all but vanishes from Dave's face and he pales noticeably as all color drains from his cheeks. James can see his jaw clench ever so slightly and it pains him to even witness that. He's seen so many sides of Dave that he's never really surprised anymore, but seeing the look of utter hurt and betrayal flit across his face makes James’ stomach twist. The sickening cherry on top is when his adam's apple bobs as he tries to swallow his emotions down.

"When?" Dave asks with some difficulty.

"He couldn't specify the date, but said it was a couple months ago,” James divulges, speaking slowly and steady. “Cliff didn't say something sooner because he thought nothing of it at the time."

"Is he sure it was a couple months ago?" Dave implores, needing verification before he loses his mind completely.

"Yes."

"That'd be right around the time everything started happening,” Dave points out as the pieces seem to fit together almost _perfectly_.

"So it would seem,” James says with acknowledgement.

The burning question on Dave's mind right now was _how the hell did they get into my office?_ but Dave still can't get past the idea of Kirk needing privacy with Marty. _Maybe that's why he snuck out in the first place..._ Perhaps it was Dave's jealousy getting the better of him, but the circumstances were different. Everything was up for doubt and debate.

"Does he know how long they were alone together?" Dave inquires instead.

“Couldn't say, but Kirk left by himself," says James. “Marty left probably a couple minutes after.”

Judging by the cocktail of emotions swarming Dave's face, James could tell that the most prevalent one had Dave looking livid. He wasn't sure if the ginger was going to start shouting or break down crying. Just when James thinks the other man won't say anything more, he's taken aback by Dave's next query.

"What do you think?"

"About what?" James asks, confused.

“Kirk sneaking off with Marty,” Dave poses.

"I'm not in any position to think anything,” James responds, and it's true. He doesn't have an opinion on the matter. Not a solid one, at least. “I just know what I've been told."

He can see Dave trying to hold it together, he really does, but it's a losing battle for the ginger and James can't begin to imagine the mental beatdown he's taking. James can tell he loves Kirk, or else this wouldn't be happening to him right now. He can’t offer anything to Dave but some semblance of rational thought. So he tries to diffuse the situation before Dave can lose his shit entirely.

"Look, I know how it sounds--"

" _Ha!_ "

"--but throwing around accusations without gathering the facts first won't help anything. Not with everything that's going on right now."

"Then what am I supposed to do?" Dave demands, raising his voice as he can no longer contain himself.

"Just _talk_ to him,” James says, ever the eloquent self help guru.

"And believe whatever excuse he gives me?" Dave scoffs in disgust.

The color's returning to his face now as he steadily flushes to a shade of red to rival his hair. Dave is fuming and so bent out of shape that James can practically feel the heat and anger radiating off of him from across the desk. Dave's trying his damndest to get his emotions under control, but it only just seems to replace his anger with melancholic resignation.

“What would _you_ do?”

"I'd think through the situation logically and not jump the gun by making irrational decisions and assumptions,” James states and it's advice that comes straight from the heart. He’'s usually not so _touchy feely_ , but Dave is his friend and he cares about his well-being. “Especially if it's someone I _love_.”

“I don't know how I can look him in the eyes,” Dave admits, feeling completely bare and exposed.

“The same way you always do,” James reassures. He knows that's easy for him to say, but he doesn't know what else can be said. “We don't know the whole story, Dave. I'm sure that if you talk to Kirk, it'll all make more sense.”

Dave seems to consider this for a moment, licking his lips slowly as he nods. He's staring off to the side, unable to meet James’ gaze as the words sink in.

“I _wanna_ believe that, James. I really do,” Dave says solemnly. “I'm just not sure if I _can_.”


	6. Some Might Say

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Took a little longer for me to update than I wanted to, but the Resident Evil 2 remake just came out and I got distracted. Not gonna lie 😆 Priorities people. Priorities.

Dave feels as if he's been crushed to pieces, blown to smithereens, and reassembled into a freakish shade of his former self. He isn't sure if this is karma catching up to him for his past transgressions, but it's certainly starting to look like it. Dave has done horrible things to people. Sometimes they were innocent, just trying to get ahead in the world like him, sometimes they had it coming, but there were always casualties along the way.

Kirk wasn't the first boy Dave had taken under his wing. There have been boys like Kirk from the start. More than a few, if Dave's being honest with himself. It started out as a casual thing, paying for someone to pretend to love him, but then he woke up and realized just how lonely that really was. Sure, his initial relationship with Kirk started out like any of the others, but somewhere along the way he had fallen in love with the young man.

He was kind, funny, patient, and didn't even ask for much by way of being spoiled. Asking for things that he wanted always seemed awkward for Kirk, and Dave figured it was because of his upbringing as a child. He didn't come from a poor family, more of a lower middle-class, but he was old friends with struggling to get by. It felt wrong to ask for something in Kirk's eyes. That's probably why he chose to work at Dave's club instead of going to college like kids his age _should_ do.

Everyone before Kirk had been superficial. Only concerned about themselves. Which, maybe, shouldn't surprise Dave since the terms of the relationship were clear, but Dave realizes now that he's played himself. It took him this long to find someone he loves, but now with everything going on Dave has to wonder: does Kirk love him back? Or has this all been a rouse from the start? Was he working with someone else to sabotage him?

He's noticed the way Marty looks at Kirk or how friendly and close Kirk gets when they interact. He's noticed many people showing interest in Kirk. Dave never minded it before, but now… It all starts to make sense. Marty was awfully concerned about Kirk's well-being during their talk and even offered to watch after Kirk. He sounded eager in a way. The more he dwells on it, the more he decides he doesn't very much like the implication of Kirk having an affair with Marty. It makes his chest constrict and his stomach twist with jealousy.

“Dave?”

He's snapped out of delusional spiral into madness and glances over at James who sits there staring at him with a worried expression.

“Huh?”

“Are you okay?” James asks carefully.

“I'm fine,” he assures.

_No, you're not._

“Are you _sure_?”

“Yeah.”

_Liar._

“You sound awfully curt,” James observes, and he knows he's pushing Dave's patience right now.

“I said I'm fine.”

_Yeah, and pigs can fly..._

“I'm sorry we weren't able to find anything more useful. Some of the dancers weren't exactly _forthcoming_ ,” James goes onto to say instead, letting out a sigh.

“It's not your fault.”

“So what's the plan?”

“I don't know,” Dave admits, and he sounds lost. _Resigned_. “To be honest, I've just been winging it up until now. My life is falling apart around me and I don't know what to fucking do. I don't know who to trust. How sad is that?”

“Look, if you need some time alone, I can look after Kirk until you cool down a little,” James offers, leaning across the desk slightly.

Dave slowly brings his attention up towards James and squints at him suspiciously. James doesn't miss the way Dave fixes him with an almost _insulted_ expression. It looks as if Dave is about to explode on him, but he can see how Dave attempts to fight it down.

“It would just be for an afternoon. I can take him to get something to eat and you can clear your head a little in the meantime,” James clarifies when he suspects Dave might actually start yelling at him.

“What are you trying to say?” Dave inquires, voice low.

“You're upset, Dave. You're stressed out,” James states, and it's true. Dave looks beat to hell emotionally. “I don't know all the details, but I can see that you love Kirk a lot. If you try and talk to him right now, you'll end up saying or doing something you'll regret later. And I can't watch you do that to yourself.”

“But what if I'm right about him?”

“What if you're wrong?”

 

Down on the main floor Kirk is hanging out with Cliff as the two exchange friendly conversation. Kirk didn't realize how much he's missed Cliff until now, seeing as how Cliff was essentially the bigger protective brother type when he had worked here. It's nice to finally get out and talk to actual human beings again. Kirk just wishes it didn't have to be so brief or depressing.

“So what's new in the world of Cliff Burton?” Kirk asks, propping himself up against the wall the taller man is leaning on.

“Well, I've saved up enough money to buy a van. Looks like me and my band are finally gonna be able to travel around the states like real rockstars,” Cliff says, scanning the dance floor with his ever watchful gaze.

“Wait, you're _leaving_?” Kirk inquires. And, yeah, maybe he's a little bummed out.

“This place has run its course,” Cliff sighs. “If I stay here forever, then we'll never make it big. Gotta get out somehow.”

“I guess you're right. It's better to follow your dreams while you still can,” Kirk concurs. He's happy for Cliff. He truly is. It just hurts like hell to see him go. “Seems like a running theme lately.”

“Whaddya mean?”

“Everyone's leaving,” Kirk surmises. “First me, then Jason, and now you.”

“Jason's coming back.”

“Is he though? I mean, he didn't say anything to anyone. He didn't say anything to _me_ ,” Kirk states forlornly. He feels hurt that Jason wouldn't talk to him beforehand. “I thought he was my best friend.”

“I'm sure he had reasons. In any case, you'll still have Junior,” Cliff points out with some semblance of hope.

“Yeah, but for how long?”

“If it makes you feel better, once I'm famous and traveling the world you can tag along with me. Start over,” Cliff offers, flashing his toothy grin that always manages to brighten Kirk's day just a little bit.

“ _Start over?_ What would I even do?” Kirk asks, giggling slightly.

“Every good band needs roadies,” Cliff says with enthusiasm.

“If things don't work out, I might have to take you up on that,” Kirk replies with an amused chuckle, but there's a hint of sadness to it that goes over the other man's head.

“You'll always be welcome in the family,” Cliff says, referring to his band, of course.

Cliff nudges him playfully with a bony elbow and they share a brief smile. It's depressing to hear that Cliff is leaving, but he respects the decision nonetheless. Kirk has never been so selfish to actually try and convince someone to stay just because he'd be _sad_. It's great that Cliff is doing something with his life. It's good to have plans and aspirations. Kirk had some of those when he started out as a dancer, but he's long since forgot about them.

Maybe it was because he fell in love and _settled down_ at a young age, or maybe he was scared to go for it for fear that Dave would tell him _no_ or disagree with his life choices. Either way, Kirk didn't have aspirations anymore. His life had come to a standstill and now he was stuck in limbo, waiting for something to happen. And it wasn't because his relationship with Dave was built upon to notion of not having to make money and worrying about bills. It was never about the money despite what some people might think.

“Hey,” a voice calls out to him.

Kirk looks over to see that it's James once again, though Kirk can't bring himself to be on edge like he was moments earlier. He's too sad and indifferent to do much of anything now that all his old friends are leaving him.

“Hi.”

“Dave's asked me to take you out to lunch,” James informs, keeping his distance from the smaller man.

“Where's Dave?” Kirk asks.

“He's gonna be tied up here for a little while,” James explains. He can see the boy's face drop slightly at the news, but he also seems used to it. “If you're not comfortable with that, then I understand. I can take you home and pick something up for you.”

Kirk seems to consider this for a moment and then gazes back over at the blonde with a somewhat resigned, yet curious expression.

“Where are we going?” he asks, and it takes James off guard.

James wasn't expecting Kirk to agree, and understandably so, but it was a pleasant surprise regardless. James almost doesn't know what to say in response to that.

“Anywhere you like. Sky's the limit,” James tells him after a brief pause.

“Okay.”

“Well, alright,” James says. _That was a lot easier than expected._ “Whenever you're ready we can head out.”

Kirk pushes himself off the wall and walks over to James promptly. James is taken aback because now that Kirk is standing right next to him he notices just how small the brunette is. He's petite and timid, somehow making himself appear even more small under James’ stoic gaze. He's like a prey sacrificing himself to his predator. James takes a chance and holds his hand out towards Kirk who, miraculously, accepts the gesture.

James’ big calloused hand encloses around Kirk's small delicate one and for the briefest of seconds they stand there just looking at where their hands meet. Kirk's soft brown eyes drift up towards the blue of James’ and they share a moment of understanding. Somehow, James seems familiar to Kirk, but the young man can't quite put his finger on it. He feels like he's seen James from somewhere before. Maybe he's just losing it. Kirk pauses only to turn around and say goodbye to Cliff.

“I'll seeya later, dude,” Kirk says as he waves goodbye.

“If I'm still here,” Cliff remarks, grinning back at him.

James furrows his eyebrows at this but doesn't comment on it. He just figures it was something they had been talking about before James interrupted them. Kirk turns back to James as if to say he's ready and the older man leads Kirk out of the club by the hand. It feels weird holding James’ hand without knowing a single thing about the guy. It's like he's being lead to a slaughterhouse but being none the wiser and unaware of what awaits him.

There's something exciting about putting his faith in James and Kirk has to assume it's just like playing with fire. For all Kirk knows, James was lying about Dave giving him permission to take Kirk out and was actually kidnapping him. Maybe he was a murderous psychopath like Junior was alluding to. Or maybe James is just a dude following orders and doing his best to make Kirk comfortable. Either way, Kirk lets James lead him out of the club regardless.

He's blinded by the sun the moment he steps out and has to shield his eyes from the rays of light beaming down on him. He follows the blonde blindly, trusting him to know the way, and only opens his eyes when they come to a complete stop. Kirk squints past the sunlight and cracks his eyelids to see a motorcycle before him. James lets go of his hand and straddles the bike. Kirk just stands there and gawks at it for, apparently, a long time.

“I don't have a car. I hope motorcycles don't make you nervous,” James apologizes, noticing the way Kirk seems to freeze up.

“Oh no, it's not that. I was just admiring it,” Kirk explains, raking his eyes along the sleek hardware.

“You ever ride on one of these?” James inquires.

“A few times. I had a boyfriend in high school who drove one.” Kirk runs a hand over the tail end of the motorcycle and regards it with a wondrous gaze before sarcastically adding, “That didn't last long.”

“Why's that?”

“He wasn't _mature_ enough for me,” admits Kirk as he flashes a bashful smile at the older man.

“If you have a type, then you have a type,” James says with a shrug, though he picks up on the subtle meaning behind Kirk's explanation. “Can't help what you like.”

“What's _your_ type?” Kirk asks suddenly, standing at the side of the motorcycle.

He's closer to James now, getting more bold and curious the longer he stays around him.

“I'm too old to have a type anymore,” James comments, letting out a small chuckle. He pats the spot behind him and motions for Kirk to have a seat. “Hop on.”

Kirk eyes are bright and wide, like a lamb to the slaughter, and James can't deny that he looks incredibly cute and naive. He's not surprised Dave fell for him in the slightest. There's just something inherently _innocent_ about Kirk, like he could do no wrong, that it almost seems too good to be true. Kirk obliges his request and straddles the seat directly behind James, pressing himself close to the bigger man and wrapping his arms around his torso.

James can feel the length of Kirk's small body as he settles onto the bike. James flips on the ignition and revs the motorcycle suddenly, causing it to rumble beneath them. He swears he hears Kirk gasp slightly; his arms definitely tighten around him. A smirk tugs at the corner of James’ mouth. It was an old trick him and plenty of other boys back in the day would use in order to feel a girl's chest pressing against them. Though, James couldn't tell you why he did it with Kirk. Maybe it was just an old reflex kicking in.

Truth be told, it's been awhile since James been this close to someone, let alone gave them a ride on his motorcycle. Yeah, maybe he did it to have a little bit of human contact, could you really blame him? He knows he shouldn't be trying it with Kirk, his best friend's partner of all people, but he can't help himself. Besides, it's not like he's expecting anything to come of this. They were just going to lunch. That's all. Completely professional.

They pull away from the curb and head out onto the main road. James asks for directions for where Kirk wants to go eat along the way and the boy shouts over the sound of wind. Kirk's mouth is so close to his ear that James can feel his warm breath wash over the back of his neck before vanishing immediately soon after. Kirk's hands move occasionally as they adjust their grip on James’ body from time to time. He knows Kirk's only intention is to keep himself from falling off the bike, but James can't ignore the way Kirk's fingers linger and caress his abdomen as he clings to James’ solid body.

At one point Kirk relaxes enough to actually lay his head on James’ back and enjoys the rest of the ride. Kirk's hands are laying flat against James’ chest and ribs, grip becoming more lax and gentle. There's a mild breeze whipping around them as they cut through the streets, but Kirk's body heat is a gentle reminder that keeps him from shuddering at the slight chill in the air. James tries to ignore how one of Kirk's hands slowly drifts lower and lower towards his belt with each passing bump in the road and eventually they arrive at their destination.

It's a quaint little pseudo-diner with a cafe aesthetic, the kind you would call a mom and pop sort of establishment. Off the beaten path, not widely known, but somehow makes enough money to stay in business despite it all. He could be wrong, but James has certainly never heard of it before, and he's lived here for ages. The place is welcoming, though. It was a more _cozy_ version of Denny's, one could say. There's only a few other people present besides the staff.

James and Kirk find a booth to sit at and a waitress comes by to give them a couple of menus and water. They take a moment to decide what they want, sitting across from each other in peaceful silence, until the waitress comes back to take their orders. Once they have nothing between them to occupy their attention, the silence begins to grow on them, but in an awkward way. Like neither of them really knows what to say. Luckily, James breaks the tension slightly.

“This is a nice little place. I've never been here before,” James comments, looking around.

“They have a lot of good food at a reasonable price. Friendly staff,” Kirk explains before he takes a sip of water. “Plus, they're open twenty-four hours a day, except on holidays.”

“They certainly have a variety of choices,” James agrees.

“Me, Junior, and Jason used come here after work all the time. If one of us had a bad shift, this place was always sure to raise our spirits,” Kirk reminisces. He smiles briefly and hums fondly at the memories. Then his smile fades slowly and he frowns a little. “I hope he's okay.”

“Who?” James asks.

“My friend Jason,” Kirk sighs, drumming his knuckles on the table. He's looking out the window thoughtfully as he goes over what little details he knows. “They said he took some time off to visit family, but I'm not sure how true that is. And if he _is_ with his family, why didn't he say something to me? I know I haven't been really social lately, but Jason's my best friend. We always told each other _everything_.”

 _Interesting_ , James ponders to himself. When he approached Rob to help him look into the situation, Rob was able to dig up a roster of everyone who works at Dave's club. Jason was one of the only people they couldn't get into contact with. There were a couple others as well, but they were able to track them down eventually. Jason however… Their calls were immediately forwarded to a voicemail. It was suspicious and, sure, maybe James should have brought that up to Dave, but many of the dancers and Marty all told the same story whenever asked about Jason. _He was visiting family._

Still, James had yet to talk to the one person who was caught in the crossfire of this whole damn thing. And if Kirk had information or had his own suspicions, then James was all ears. It might even help his case to deter suspicion away from himself, considering right now Kirk and Marty were prime suspects for lack of convincing evidence that suggests otherwise.

“Is there any reason why he wouldn't call you? Or why you think he might not actually be with his family?” James inquires, trying to mask his curiosity with concern.

“I don't know if I should say anything. It might get him into trouble, assuming he already isn't,” Kirk worries.

“If he _is_ in trouble, I might be able to help,” James offers, coaxing Kirk to spill what he knows.

Kirk looks over at him, visibly unsure on whether to trust James or not, but Kirk's concern is far greater than the power of uncertainty. Consider it a last resort.

“A while back, Jason got mixed up with some bad people. Drug dealers. Pushers, ya know? A lot of the dancers were hooked on all kinds of stuff, including me. It never got too out of hand as far as addictions go, but Jason managed to rack up a bit of debt,” Kirk divulges, talking low so as not to attract the attention of anyone who might be eavesdropping. “He was able to kick his habit and pay back most of the money he owed, but last I heard he still owed around twenty grand.”

“How long ago was that?” James asks.

“Maybe three months ago?” Kirk says with an uncertain shrug. “He's been working religiously to pay off his debt and all of a sudden he decides to go back home without really saying anything to anyone?”

“Maybe he finished paying them off?” James supplies with a thoughtful tone. He's trying to see the situation from multiple sides right now while also seeing what Kirk thinks.

“It took him nearly half a year to pay off thirty grand. There's no way he could get twenty in three months while having to worry about his life expenses, rent, and other bills,” Kirk expresses with some doubt. He's so distraught and worried now that he's assuming the worst. “Dave pays his dancers _a lot_ , but it would have to take some serious tips to earn _that much_.”

 _Not unless he found some other way to get the money..._ James thinks suspiciously. He doesn't say that though.

“What are you thinking?” James says after a moment of contemplation. He's curious to see what Kirk has to say.

“I'm just worried something bad might have happened to him. I don't know if he skipped state to get away from his debt or something worse…”

“Have you tried contacting any of his family?”

“I don't have any of their numbers. Jason liked to keep that part of his life private,” Kirk replies. “They don't exactly know what he does for a living. He wanted to keep it that way.”

That doesn't really help either of them, but James knows a little more than he did before and now he has some form of cohesive evidence to go on. Kirk has been the most helpful with this investigation and he, presumably, has no idea what's really going on. How ironic is that?

“I know it might sound presumptuous of me to ask for a favor, but is there anyway you can find out if he's okay or not?” Kirk beseeches. “I'm probably just losing my mind, but I _need_ to know for sure.”

“I can't promise anything, but I'll look into it,” James vows, and he can see a wave of relief wash over the brunette as the tension leaves him.

“Thank you,” Kirk says.

Something about the whole scenario fills James with an indescribable feeling that gets hammered home when Kirk gives him a sweet little smile and a subtle bat of lashes. He's easily hypnotized and swayed by Kirk's soft doe eyes and James has to wonder when Kirk had _bewitched_ him so. He doesn't ponder on it too long, because their food to arrives shortly after. James, of course, ordered the classic cheese burger and fries, but Kirk on the other hand seemed content with a garden salad.

James quirks an eyebrow at the smaller man and fixes him with a somewhat amused expression.

“What's with the rabbit food? You on a diet or something?” James remarks, letting out a hearty chuckle.

“No, I'm a vegetarian,” Kirk answers with a bemused crack of laughter.

“I was gonna say, you definitely don't need a diet with a body like that,” James compliments, only to have his face burn with a smidgen of embarrassment when he realizes he's essentially flirting with Dave's partner. He plays it off by sounding casual, though. “But I guess that makes more sense.”

“Thanks,” Kirk giggles in response.

Kirk flashes, what could only be described as, bedroom eyes at the older man and smirks.

“You're not so bad yourself,” Kirk teases, taking a bite of his food.

 _Oh yeah…_ James now understands how Dave could fall so hard for a boy like Kirk.


	7. I'm Affected

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'm sorry if this chapter is a little boring. I was planning on doing more with this chapter but it didn't really flow all that well. That being said, next update should be coming a lot sooner!

Dave doesn't like feeling this way. He doesn't like feeling as if he's been stretched so thin that he might snap and break given the slightest bit of tension. He knows he's being toyed with right now, he just wishes he knew who was pulling all the strings. But the whole Kirk thing? Dave still couldn't fully believe it; didn't want to believe it. It happened a few months ago, perhaps Cliff was mistaken about the whole thing even taking place. But Cliff was usually attentive to things like that. It's part of the reason why he looks after the dancers.

So if Cliff wasn't lying or mistaken, how could Kirk sneaking off with Marty to Dave's office be justified? He's trying to look at it from James’ point of view, after all it was part of James’ job; to see everything from a different perspective. His first instinct is to accuse Kirk of cheating and possibly being in cahoots with Marty, but what motive does he have is the real question. What's their gain from having an affair and/or stealing?

Marty was an intelligent man; capable of running his own business much like Dave one day. Marty was a smartass, sure, but he wasn’t conniving. Dave was the stepping stone towards Marty’s future, so why would he renege on the countless years it took to build up their relationship. With Kirk, no less. Dave didn’t want to buy into the paranoia, but there was no escaping either. He needs to play it safe and cover all bases no matter how much he doesn’t agree with it. But who does he question about it?

He could question both of them and see if their stories match up, but how cooperative will Marty be if he’s being accused? He might just quit on the spot and walk out if he takes offense to it. Maybe Dave’s best bet is to just talk to Kirk. Him and Kirk have been together for almost two years now. If Kirk truly loves him, then he’ll get an honest answer, right? But does Dave trust him enough to be honest? He wants to believe. _Christ_ , does he want to believe. But there’s something that keeps him from having complete and utter faith. He could chalk it up to past relationships; trust issues. He just doesn’t want to get hurt by the person he cares about the most.

Sitting alone in his office makes him feel claustrophobic; almost like he’s a stranger in his own establishment. It’s cold and sterile; medical in a way, like a waiting room at the hospital. It doesn’t feel welcoming anymore. It just serves to fill Dave up with dread, knowing that all of this and more could potentially be gone in just a few short days. What’s worse than that are the implications that it’s all because of someone close to him. A friend, a colleague, a lover… He doesn’t like what this business has done to him. He’s too old to start over and wipe his slate clean; doesn’t want to start over for that matter. Too much was at stake.

For all intents and purposes, Dave was happy with where his life’s at right now. Current situation aside, of course. He had finally started to settle down, going so far as to consider taking his and Kirk's relationship to the next level, but then all this happened and now Dave isn’t sure where he’s at in life anymore. There were too many questions left unanswered, stones left unturned, and yeah, he was scared. Dave Mustaine was _scared_ for once in his life.

A knock to his door rattles him out of his paranoia induced stupor.

“Yeah!” Dave calls out, seeing the vague outline of Marty.

“It’s been fifteen minutes. Just making sure you’re still alive,” Marty remarks, but doesn’t open the door.

“I’ll be down in a minute,” Dave replies, waiting for Marty to walk away before pushing his chair back.

Dave makes his way towards the door only to turn around sharply and head over to his safe. He punches in the numerical password, hearing the affirmative beep before it clicks open. He peers inside briefly, scanning the contents of the safe, what’s left in it at least. Dave’s taken a few things out this past week or two, but there were still a few items. A couple of files, receipts and documentation collected over the years, and a small black velvet box that could fit in the palm of his hand. He eyes it for a moment, wondering if he should take it with him, but shuts the safe instead.

Whoever the thief was wasn’t interested in what lay inside that tiny little box, though valuable for sure. Maybe they knew Dave would be able to track it if it showed up at a pawn shop. _Clever_ , he thinks. _The thief was thinking ahead. Or just doesn’t care._

Either way, Dave leaves his office and heads down to meet up with Marty at the bar. They walk to the back stockroom together, not speaking a word to each other. Dave follows Marty, staring at the back of his head as a million thoughts race through his mind. There’s no way Kirk would cheat on him with Marty. Marty wasn’t Kirk’s type at all. That’s not to say Marty wasn’t handsome or charming. Marty was a known flirt around the club, but never inappropriate. He could get anyone if he really tried. What if he tried it with Kirk? What if he was able to seduce Kirk?

“Finally you assholes show up!” barks their supplier. He’s a gruff, middle-aged man who went prematurely bald at a young age. “I got five more stops after you! I can’t be standing around with my thumb up my ass all day!”

“Calm down, Tony. We had some important shit to take care of,” Marty explains, holding a hand out cautiously.

“Who the fuck is this _broad_ , Dave?” Tony remarks sarcastically as he nods over towards an unamused Marty.

“Bite me, Tony,” Marty scoffs, flipping the old bastard the finger.

“Oh, you wish, sweetheart,” Tony retorts, blowing a kiss at the young brunette.

“You pricks done flirting? I thought you said you were in a hurry?” Dave complains, addressing the rotund little man.

“What’s eatin’ you Dave?” Tony asks with concern, noticing the change in Dave’s mood.

“Nothing. I'm _peachy_ ,” Dave deadpans, stone faced as ever. “Can we just wrap this up. I got shit I gotta do.”

“Okay, okay,” Tony relents. “Let’s get down to business.”

For the next ten minutes they go over the shipment. Some whiskeys didn’t come in this week because of high demand, which didn’t bother Dave much, it happens sometimes. Most of what was ordered would keep them stocked up for awhile. Did it matter though? In a few days all of this could be taken from him. Menza didn’t have the kind of power to take Dave’s business away, but he could make his life a living hell. Menza was the man that kept undesirables from setting up shop on Dave’s turf. Drug dealers, thugs, prostitutes, gangsters, competition… You name it. So long as you are protected by Menza, no one will dare fuck with you. But that’s double edged sword you don’t want to fuck with. If you want any guarantees, you better be sure you can make your payments on time.

Even as Dave’s going through the inventory as it’s wheeled into the stockroom, he can’t help but wonder where he had fucked up. Twenty years in this business and now all of a sudden he’s found himself in the middle of a shit storm. And he’s only got three days to sort it all out or it’s _his_ ass. Not only that, but Menza threatened Kirk directly and that didn’t sit too well with him. He knows Menza has his own business to run, but he didn’t like the implications of Menza threat. _Paying Kirk a visit with a few of his boys_. If it comes down to that, Dave will kill Menza with his own hands. Consequences be damned.

“I think that’s pretty much it,” Tony surmises after everything’s been hauled in and checked off the list. He hands a clipboard over towards Dave. “Just need your signature here.”

Most people had switched to digital devices and scanners to record data, but Tony was old fashioned like most old timers in this business. He liked to keep paper records even if it meant having to double or triple check sometimes. Tony was paranoid like that, much like Dave. Dave signs off on the order to verify everything is there and gives it back to Tony who accepts it with a wide grin.

“Pleasure doing business, as always,” Tony says as he sticks his hand out.

“Always a pleasure to have you, Tony,” Dave concurs, grasping the other man’s hand.

“And it was nice seeing you again, _princess_ ,” Tony teases, bowing at Marty.

“You too, you troglodyte,” Marty retorts, folding his arms over his chest.

“Is that any way to treat your future husband?” Tony jokes with whooping laugh.

“I’d rather die,” Marty states with a stoic expression.

“Okay, tough crowd. Tough crowd…” Tony concedes, but the exchange is all in good fun. Tony puts his clipboard under his arm and clasps his hands together. “Alright, gentlemen. I bid you adieu! Seeya in two weeks.”

“Yeah,” Dave says in a monotone voice.

_If I'm still standing after all of this..._

After Tony leaves, Dave shuts the loading dock door and locks it up. He turns around to see Marty inspecting the shipment of alcohol. He’s all alone with Marty now, causing him to be reminded of the supposed treachery going on behind his back. Dave approaches Marty, trying his best to remain placid and casual, and comes to stand next to the short man. Marty acknowledges him with a slight turn of his head and an imploring look, like he expects Dave to say something.

“How long have you been working for me Marty?” Dave asks after a moment.

“About five years now. Why?” Marty replies.

“I know I'm not always the nicest person to be around, and I know I may have treated you poorly in the beginning,” Dave divulges, taking a more tactful approach on how to deal with the predicament he’s found himself in. He reaches out and places a hand on Marty’s shoulder. “But I trust you to be loyal and honest with me one hundred and ten percent. You get me?”

“Of course, Dave,” Marty says without hesitation. His full attention is solely on Dave now. “If this is about me looking after things while you sort shit out, you can count on me man.”

“Good… Because you’re like a son to me, Marty. I only expect the best outta you,” Dave tells him earnestly.

Something in Marty’s face seems to change and after a few tense and awkward seconds tick on by, Dave notices his bottom lip quiver a little. His eyes are wide open and focused on Dave like a deer faced with a hunter. That brief moment of realizing before the kill. Just then, Dave can see the faint glimmer of tears forming in Marty’s eyes, as if he’s attempting to fight them off through sheer willpower. They never spill over completely, however, because Marty’s about to make it a point to hide his face in the crook of Dave’s neck.

“Thank you, Mr. Mustaine,” Marty croaks in a choked up timbre.

In an instant, Marty lunges forward and clasps his arms around Dave, nearly knocking them both off balance. At first, Dave is taken aback by the sudden attack, but he soon relaxes into the embrace and reciprocates Marty’s hug. It makes Dave question what he knows versus what he thinks. He knows Marty is a hard worker and, despite being a wise ass, he’s actually quite intelligent and reliable. His heart is telling him to trust Marty, but the voice inside his head won’t shut up. Still, he can’t bring himself to question Marty and ruin their moment.

“Okay,” Dave murmurs, patting Marty on the back tenderly.

Marty takes the hint and lets go of Dave, seeming more composed now and not on the verge of crying. The look on his face is caught somewhere between happiness and gratitude. He isn’t sure why Marty’s taking his words so personally, but he doesn’t bother to ask. The whole scenario is _odd_ to say the least, but it doesn’t take away what Dave said. He does see Marty like a son in some ways. Which is just as well. Dave can’t ever see him and Kirk adopting a child of their own, assuming everything goes accordingly. Dave was never a family man, but the relationships he’s built up over the years was enough for him.

He just hopes his suspicions aren’t true or else he’s going to look pretty damn stupid.

“I gotta go,” Dave announces, looking Marty in the eye. “Are you gonna be alright handling things on your own?”

“Piece o’ cake,” Marty says confidently, bringing back that wise guy demeanor.

“That’s what I like to hear.”

Dave gives the small man an almost sad looking smile, like he’s suffering but doing the most to disguise it. His eyes drift towards the floor in a melancholic sweep. He should say something; wants to say something. _What the fuck is going on between you and Kirk. Please, for the love God, put me out of my misery and tell me I'm just being a paranoid fuck._

“Dave, are you okay?” Marty inquires when the older man freezes and stares off into space.

Dave glances up at Marty, looking right through him before humming out a faint chuckle and shaking his head.

“Yeah, I'm fine,” Dave assures. He walks past Marty to leave, waving goodbye. “Be seeing you around, kid.”

 

They've talked some more over the course of lunch, but as their meals start to slowly dwindle down, both James and Kirk find themselves at odds with wanting to prolong the outing. They both know that as soon as lunch is over, James is going to take Kirk back home to Dave and James is going to keep himself busy by digging a little further into the situation at hand. Kirk proved helpful by sharing his concerns about Jason. After this, he’ll look into it right away. But right now, him and Kirk were enjoying each other’s company.

“You married?” Kirk inquires curiously as they eat their food in companionable silence. James perks his head up and furrows his eyebrows over at Kirk. Kirk reiterates the question by pointing out the gold band on James’ left hand. “Your ring.”

James seems to regard it for a moment as he cradles his burger in his hands. He forgets he’s even wearing it sometimes, but the mention of it doesn’t really bring him down. He’s had time to mend.

“I _was_ ,” James answers.

“Divorced?”

“Widowed.”

“I'm sorry,” Kirk apologizes, anxiously picking at his food.

Kirk suddenly feels bad for bringing it up. It wasn’t any of his business and he shouldn’t be prying into a stranger’s personal life over lunch. Then again, James didn’t have to humor Kirk with an answer either. Maybe James was just trying to be polite. Either way, it makes Kirk feel slightly more comfortable around him as the mention of _loss_ humanizes the older man.

“It happens,” James shrugs nonchalantly, setting his burger down to take a sip of his drink. “Just one of the many things life throws at you."

"I can't begin to imagine what it must feel like to married. To spend the rest of your life with your soulmate,” Kirk comments in a far off, dreamy tone.

He’s peering out the window of the quaint little diner, watching motorists pass by with an almost childlike wonder. James catches onto Kirk’s mannerisms pretty quickly and realizes that the kid is a bit eccentric. Kirk’s aloof in many ways; submissive, weary of his surroundings, but also easily distracted and invasive. James can see right away that Kirk is a social butterfly, but he’s also incredibly self conscious. It’s just been too long since he’s had a chance to spread his wings. So James indulges him by providing casual conversation; giving him a glimpse of friendship. A lifeline.

"It's a wonderful, beautiful thing,” James answers honestly. “Assuming you've found the right one. It’s easy to end up with the wrong one."

"Did you?” Kirk gazes back over at James, taking a bite of his salad. “Find the right one, I mean."

"Oh yeah,” James says, humming a little laugh as a faint smile spread across his face.

It’s weird talking about his deceased wife so casually over lunch with a young man he may or may not want to do terrible things to, but that's beside the point. What made it strange was that he wasn’t particularly sad in bringing up the past, even if only briefly. His wife had made him happy, so there was no reason to go and get depressed. She’d want him to carry on and be strong. Not dwell on things he had no control over.

"How did you know they were the right one?" Kirk asks, seeming to be on the fence with such an idea.

"Sometimes you just know,” James says. “It ain’t easy, but it’s possible.”

Kirk considers this briefly, looking down at his food as he mulls it over in his head.

Kirk reminds James of his wife in some ways. They were both worrisome, had a great deal of empathy, hardly prone to anger. There was always something going on inside his wife’s head that he never fully understood. She kept a lot of things to herself or, when she did decide to open up, it took a little bit of coaxing. She was the type of person that didn’t want to be a burden if she could help it, though James found it nonsensical that her feelings could potentially be a burden. He saw that in Kirk. Maybe it was part of the reason why James felt drawn to the brunette. The other part was just pure, unabashed _wanting_.

"There are times when I'm convinced that Dave is _the one_ ,” Kirk brings up thoughtfully, playing with his food again. “Here lately, it's been getting harder to believe that."

"Why do you think that is?" James asks.

"Probably just stressed out, to be honest. I was never really graceful under pressure,” Kirk cracks with a timid laugh.

“You ever think about leaving Dave?” James suddenly inquires

The question takes Kirk by surprise and he looks kind of shocked at the implication, but oddly enough he doesn’t appear to be offended. Perhaps it was selfish of James to instigate a taboo subject, but he ultimately can’t help it. Kirk’s eyes falter for the briefest of seconds, like he’s actually thinking about for the first time. James can see the conflict flit across Kirk’s face and he regrets bringing it up at all.

“I… I don’t know. The thought never occurred to me,” Kirk answers honestly. “But now that you mention it…”

James’ face drops and his eyebrows quirk up expectantly, causing Kirk to giggle.

“I'm kidding!” Kirk reassures, flashing that bright smile of his. “It doesn’t matter how stressful things get or if he keeps secrets from me. At the end of the day, I can’t picture being with anyone else but Dave.”

This answer brings out a smile on James’ face. There’s something about Kirk that just reels you in without much effort on his end and James can feel himself slowly falling prey to it. James isn’t the first, obviously, and Dave probably wasn’t either. Kirk is a heartbreaker and he doesn’t even know it; oblivious to it. James can tell just from the people he’s been around. He sees it in the eyes of both Cliff and Marty; a sense of longing. And now James is affected by it too.

“Well, finish up your lunch and I’ll see to it that you get home to him. I'm sure he misses you a lot,” James replies ardently.

James hates to say it, but he wishes he didn’t have to take Kirk home. He could talk to Kirk for hours, get to know him. It isn’t his place to demand that, however. James isn’t here to make friends, let alone build up his hope that something might bloom between them. He’s here to protect and look out for Kirk. Nothing more. Sitting here in this cozy little diner and sharing a meal with Kirk in comfortable silence is just as well.

He’ll take what he can get.


	8. No Control

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> That moment when you realize chapters 3 - 8 all took place on the same day and you wonder how someone could stretch it out for that long... Also, this is the reason why I haven't been working on prompts either. Sorry.

He’s staring out the window from the second floor when he hears a loud motorcycle pull up in front of his house. Dave has the curtains drawn back slightly so he can peek through them. He spies James coming to a stop just at the curb with Kirk holding onto him from behind. There’s something about the way Kirk holds onto James for a few seconds too long that doesn’t sit well with Dave, but he tries to ignore it. After a moment, Kirk hops off the bike and steps onto the sidewalk where he hovers close to James’ side.

They seem to exchange a few words, smiling briefly, before Kirk lays a gentle hand on James’ shoulder and lets it slowly inch down to his bicep in a fleeting gesture. James acknowledges it with a little glance. Kirk pulls his hand away, playing with his hair a little, and takes a step back, waving goodbye as James revs up his motorcycle. James nods his head at Kirk, saying something, but Dave can’t quite make it out. He’s probably just saying his goodbyes as well, but Dave can’t help the tinge of jealousy that washes through him as he watches the exchange.

Dave needs to calm down. Nothing happened. They were just talking. On top of that, Dave needs to keep his cool if he’s about to do what he’s going to do. Dave draws the curtains closed and makes his way down stairs when he sees James drive away and Kirk starting to walk towards the front door. He jogs down the stairs and slips into the kitchen to make it look like he was busy preparing tidying up. Dave still wasn’t a hundred percent sure how he was going to approach the subject, but he figures he’ll just wing it and see what happens.

The faint jingling of keys and the sound of the door being unlocked comes shortly after Dave gets to the kitchen. He can hear the door open and shut promptly followed by a ruffling noise. Dave is wiping down the counter when Kirk pops his head into the room, grinning from ear to ear. Christ, he is so beautiful. His cute smile, his gentle eyes, his soft hair… Dave got lucky for sure. Unfortunately, it only makes it harder for Dave to believe that Kirk has stayed faithful all this time, which then reminds him of the possible Kirk and Marty affair. This was going to be hard.

"Hey!" Kirk greets, ducking into the kitchen looking all sorts of chipper.

Kirk skips over to Dave and nearly pounces on him from excitement. He wraps his arms around Dave’s neck and presses in close to him, pecking the older man on the lips.

"Hey baby,” Dave replies, holding onto Kirk’s waist as he stares down into deceptively innocent eyes. “You have a good time?"

"Yeah,” Kirk says. He hums in approval when Dave reciprocates his kiss. “You okay? Did you get something to eat?"

"I'm fine, sweetheart. Don't worry about me,” he assures. “James get you home safely?"

"I'm still in one piece. How did things go at the club? You talk to Marty?"

He knows Kirk is just curious to hear how everything went after he left, but it seems awfully convenient that Kirk would bring up Marty of all people. It made Dave suspicious, sure, but maybe he was reading too much into it. Then again, Marty had also asked questions concerning Kirk when they had their little chat earlier. Everything was just fitting together almost too coincidentally for his taste. Either way, it served as a good segue to approach the subject of Kirk’s supposed _infidelity_.

"Yeah, I did,” Dave says slowly, grip loosening on Kirk just a little. His gaze darts off to the side for a moment, like he can’t quite bring himself to look Kirk in the eyes. “Speaking of Marty, there's something I wanted to talk to you about."

"What is it? Is Marty okay?" Kirk beseeches quickly, worried expression erasing his cheerful one almost instantaneously.

"Yeah, baby, he's fine,” Dave tells him solemnly. He lets go of Kirk entirely and steps away from him, putting a little bit of distance between them. “I, uh, just wanna ask you a question and I expect you to be completely honest with me."

" _Of course_ ,” Kirk promises without hesitation.

"I don't know how to say this, so I'm just gonna say it…”

Dave can feel his palms start to get clammy at the mere thought of uttering the words he was about to say. He doesn’t like the way it makes his stomach cramp and he hates how Kirk is looking at him as if he’s completely lost and bereft. Dave wonders if he should actually go through with this or just avoid the conflict, but he needs to know for sure. He fixes Kirk with a stoic expression, jaw flexing uncontrollably... _Fuck it, here goes nothing._

“Are you having an affair with Marty?"

For a few seconds there was nothing. No reaction. No words or explanation. But then a smile spreads across Kirk’s face and he lets out a nervous giggle like he can’t fully comprehend what Dave has just said to him. It’s not the reaction he was expecting out of Kirk and it baffled him how the young man could just laugh in his face like that, but it starts to make sense when Kirk thinks he’s got Dave figured out.

"This is a joke, right?” Kirk inquires with a good-natured laugh. When Dave doesn’t reply or deliver his punchline, however, the smile vanishes from Kirk’s face and he takes on a more baffled expression. Offended, even. “Look, if this is a joke it isn't funny. In fact, I find it to be in quite poor taste."

"I'm completely serious,” Dave states, unwavering as he folds his arms over his chest.

Kirk’s face goes through a few changes; switching between confusion to hurt to anger. He finally comes to rest solely on anger as all other emotion drains from him. He feels attacked and betrayed, by his own lover no less, and it’s the most painful thing he’s had to endure in a long time.

"How could you even ask that?" Kirk questions, losing all conviction in his tone.

"Just answer the question,” Dave orders firmly, refusing to ease up even when he can see how hurt Kirk is.

"No!” Kirk shouts suddenly, scaring both himself _and_ Dave with the unbridled outburst. He reiterates his question once more with feeling. “How could you ask me that?!"

Dave feels backed into a corner, much like the tactic he was attempting to use on Kirk, but it backfired tremendously. He wasn’t expecting Kirk to react this way, then again Dave was forcing an answer out of the brunette with a scolding tone. What did he expect, really? Regardless, he had to slowly regain control over the situation and get to the bottom of this.

"Listen, someone told me they saw you and Marty sneaking off to my office,” Dave issues in a resolute voice, pointing a finger at Kirk to punctuate his resolve.

"What? When?" Kirk asks, visibly confused.

"Three months ago."

" _Three months ago?_ ” Kirk echoes loudly. “Why does it matter if we were alone?"

"Because I wanna know why you find it necessary to sneak around behind my back,” Dave accuses, taking a step towards Kirk to box the young man against the countertop.

"I wasn't sneaking!" Kirk defended, feeling trapped and cornered.

Kirk’s eyes are huge and wild, mouth hanging open slightly in awe and shock. Dave can tell he’s scared; frightened. But he doesn’t let up even when his heart is screaming at him to do so. He can’t stand seeing Kirk in so much distress, but he can’t stop his tirade either. All he can think about is Kirk cheating on him. With Marty. With _James_. And God knows who else. Instead of handling the situation delicately, Dave speaks from a stream of consciousness, saying things he’ll probably regret later. Just like James warned him against.

"Are you _fucking_ him?" Dave asks, voice dropping dangerously low the closer he gets to Kirk.

" _Excuse me?_ "

"You heard me."

"You're insane,” Kirk admonishes with a scoff, using this moment to try and push past the ginger.

Dave snatches him up by his bicep and yanks Kirk back over towards him, forcefully pulling Kirk close. It causes a surprised gasp to escape Kirk’s mouth and his eyes light up with momentary fear. For the first time in their relationship, Kirk is convinced that Dave is going to hit him. He even braces for it, squeezing his eyes shut when he notices Dave’s free hand shooting up quickly, but instead of a smack Dave just points his finger in his face and yells at him.

"Answer me, goddamnit!" Dave demands, nearly shouting at the top of his lungs as he shakes Kirk roughly.

It’s all starting to become too much too fast and Kirk can’t take it anymore. He’s frightened and on the verge of angry tears, outraged and appalled that Dave could ever be capable of treating him like this. Kirk can only wonder where all of this came from as he yanks his arm away from Dave and gives the older man a forceful shove to break his bruising grip on his bicep. His last remaining shred of control deteriorates, making him revert to a fight or flight dilemma and he chooses _fight_.

"Yeah! I'm fucking Marty! And you know what else? After I left the club earlier, me and James found a back alley and fucked me long and hard. Is that what you wanna hear?" Kirk screams, eyes brimming with tears that don’t quite spill over.

"This isn't a game,” Dave argues.

"Do you see me laughing?” Kirk cries. His bottom lip trembles as he looks up at Dave through foggy tears. “How _dare_ you accuse me of something so horrible!"

Kirk has to try his best not to break down completely and let the tears flow freely. He furiously wipes at his eyes before the first drop can roll down his cheek and it’s now that Dave realizes just how bad he fucked up. Kirk’s sniffling and attempting to hold himself together, but it’s an uphill battle that requires all his strength. The young man can see the hesitant look in Dave’s eyes and addresses him with a defiant and determined stare.

"Apologize,” Kirk orders.

" _What?_ " Dave asks with a shaky huff of air.

"Apologize to me right now, or I'm leaving,” Kirk threatens, giving the ginger an ultimatum as he folds his arms across his chest.

Dave’s eyes widen slightly and his hand shoots out once again to grab Kirk by the arm. Kirk tenses, but doesn’t make a move to pull away.

"You're not leaving this house,” Dave warns, sounding desperate.

"You're right. I won't leave,” Kirk states resolutely. “Not unless you say you're sorry."

"If you're not cheating on me, then what the hell were you two doing in my office?" Dave goes on to question instead, ignoring Kirk’s cease and desist.

"That's none of your business,” Kirk croaks finally fighting back the urge to cry.

"That office is _mine_. Therefore, it is my fucking business,” Dave explains, loosening his hold on Kirk a little. His voice becomes more soft, but he still sounds determined. “Now answer my question."

"I can't do that,” Kirk refuses in a timid tone.

"Either you tell me what happened or, so help me, I will tie you to the bed until you do,” Dave bullies, but there isn’t much threat behind it.

"Look, all we did was talk. Marty was in a really bad place and dealing with some shit and I helped him through it, alright?” Kirk discusses. The stress is getting to him and he feels emotionally exhausted. “Is that good enough for you?"

"What did you talk about?"

"Why does it matter?" Kirk complains with a sigh.

"It just does!" Dave insists, raising his voice again.

"I promised Marty I wouldn't say anything to you."

“For the love of God--!” Dave bellows hysterically, shaking Kirk again as he strains the pitch of his voice.

"Fine,” Kirk relents with a frustrated cry when Dave’s hand starts to squeeze bruises into his skin.

He doesn’t like knowing he’s betrayed Marty’s trust, but he has no choice. At the end of the day, he chooses Dave over anyone else. Dave is left in suspense as Kirk collects his thoughts and calms down long enough to explain the whole misunderstanding. It causes the older man to become impatient, but it’s the price to pay for wanting to hear the truth.

“A while back, Marty's mom was in a terrible accident. Some drunk asshole blindsided her after running a red light. She was trapped in her car for two hours, but by the time they pried her out and got her to the hospital, there was nothing they could do,” Kirk says, recalling the horrible memory of Marty bursting into tears when he initially told Kirk. “She was dead on arrival."

The expression all but vanishes from Dave’s face and, boy, does he feel like an asshole. After all this time of throwing around accusations and strong arming Kirk into giving him what he wants, he never once stopped to think how all this might actually be affecting the small brunette. Now here he is, forcing Kirk to retell a traumatic experience suffered by a close friend. What an absolute _jerk_.

"Marty was a wreck,” Kirk continues, looking off to the side and down at the floor. “I came by the club frequently to see how he was holding up and one day I could see it in his eyes that he just couldn't take it anymore.” He’s starting to get all choked up again, but swallows his feelings past the lump in his throat so he can get through this. “The door was unlocked so we went into your office for some privacy. He needed someone to hold him so he could just cry and let it all out. I _swear_ that’s all it was.”

Kirk is staring at Dave with big, soulful eyes now. The sight of soft brown irises nearly breaks Dave’s heart as they glisten with the threat of fresh tears daring to resurface with a vengeance. He’s at a loss for words; confused and upset. Upset with _himself_ in particular. He hates what he’s become. This isn’t who Dave is, but recent events got him all sorts of fucked up.

"Why didn't he tell me?" Dave implores, sounding empty.

"He didn't want to worry you or disappoint you."

" _Disappoint me?_ ” Dave asks in astonishment. “If he needed some time off to work through things I would've given it to him."

"I told him that, but he was so convinced that you'd be upset if he took time off,” Kirk replies. “He just wanted to make you proud.”

"I don't know what to say,” Dave admits with defeat, hanging his head down slightly. He lets out a huff. “I'm a fucking idiot."

"What else is new?" Kirk remarks, scoffing and rolling his eyes.

"Hey, quit being such a brat,” Dave chides gently.

"Quit being such an asshole,” retorts Kirk, feeling a bit more confident and sassy now that the scene has been defused.

"I guess I deserve that.”

"Damn right, you do,” Kirk agrees, going back to his usual snarky self.

Their heightened level of stress and animosity has had some time to subside, putting them both at ease for the most part. Dave can’t help but overthink things, however. He might have royally fucked things over with Kirk with his little bout of jealousy seeing as how he didn’t really approach the topic in a respectful way. He’s not even sure if he’s hurt Kirk with how much he was grabbing and squeezing his arm.

Dave doesn’t want to be one of those people who gets into the habit of controlling everything their partner does. He wasn’t an abuser. He’d die before he let that happen. Although, one could argue he’s already done that just by shouting at Kirk and grabbing him roughly. Regardless, Dave feels like ten pounds of shit stuffed into a five pound bag. Kirk doesn’t deserve this at all. Dave doesn’t deserve Kirk.

"I'm so sorry. I didn't mean to yell at you, sweetheart,” Dave apologizes.

His hands slowly come up to cup Kirk’s angelic face. He’s surprised Kirk even lets him do it given the way he’s been treating him and counts his blessings when Kirk permits him to press in close. Kirk leans into his touch and lets his eyes flutter shut. Their bodies are nearly flush against each other and Kirk all but melts into Dave’s gentle contact. The older man is much more tender and considerate, acting as if Kirk might shatter if handled roughly, and rests his forehead against Kirk’s. They hold that position as Kirk reaches up to wrap his hands around Dave’s wrists, basking in one another’s warmth.

“It's just... the thought of you with someone else makes me absolutely crazy,” Dave confesses shamefully, baring himself completely.

It’s not a healthy mindset, but Dave can’t deny Kirk the truth.

"I know,” Kirk acknowledges in a mere whisper.

“I didn’t hurt you, did I?” Dave worries, brushing Kirk’s hair back with his hand.

“No, I'm fine,” Kirk reassures, peering up at Dave and offering a faint smile.

Kirk inhales through his nose, sniffling slightly, and raises his face up towards his lover. Their noses rub together is an sweet gesture, the likes of which people often call eskimo kisses, as Kirk flirts with the idea of kissing Dave. The older man closes the small gap between them and presses his lips against Kirk’s. Kirk reciprocates the kiss, sighing as he’s swept away in a much more appealing feeling. It seems like an odd segue into more intimate acts, but they’d both be lying if they said their argument didn’t get them a bit _worked up_.

He can tell that Dave is quite aroused when he feels the man press his hips firmly into his own. The force of it sends Kirk stumbling back, like Dave is actively trying to push Kirk up against the counter. The edge of island in the middle of the kitchen hits the small of Kirk’s back, successfully pinning him between the counter and Dave’s body. His heart is racing faster now the more insistent and needy Dave gets with the way he kisses Kirk. Desperate and clumsy, craving more contact and friction. Dave deepens the kiss, causing his hair to fall into Kirk’s face.

All of a sudden they’re fumbling like a couple of horny teenagers, grappling and caressing anything they can get their hands on and frantically trying to rip off each other’s clothes. When Dave is occupied with making out with Kirk, the brunette reaches down and starts to unbuckle Dave’s belt. Kirk tries to keep up with Dave’s flurry of kisses as he struggles to open the front of the ginger’s jeans. His hands often brush over the sizeable bulge straining Dave’s jeans, coaxing out the softest grunts from Dave. Once Kirk manages to unzip Dave’s fly he peels away from the kiss long enough to catch his breath and pant against Dave’s damp lips.

“ _Fuck me_ ,” Kirk whines low in his throat, sobbing almost from how badly he needs Dave right now. He even goes so far as to shove his hand inside Dave’s pants to grope his erection.

Without having to be told twice, Dave grabs the backs of Kirk’s thighs and hoists him onto the counter. Kirk gasps, turned on by the sheer strength and persistence displayed by Dave. He all but forgets about their fight and instead focuses on the situation at hand. Blood rushes to Kirk’s cheeks and his erection throbs without cessation, looking quite the debauched sight, no doubt. Dave gives him another claiming kiss, nipping at Kirk’s bottom lip before pulling away.

“You stay right here, okay babydoll?” Dave murmurs, winding his hand into the side of Kirk’s hair and tugging on it affectionately.

“Yes, _daddy_ ,” Kirk purrs, tongue peeking out briefly to swipe across his lips.

Dave leaves the room to get the things he needs and comes back into the kitchen to see Kirk still sitting on the counter, only now he’s rubbing at his arousal through his tight pants. His legs are spread apart and he’s leaning back on one hand so that his body is in a reclined position. Dave watches him for a moment vigorously grinding the heel of his palm roughly into his clothed cock. Kirk’s even more enticing when he’s all hot and bothered. Kirk’s always been kind of an exhibitionist (probably attributed to being a dancer at Dave’s club), even when they first started hooking up.

Kirk enjoyed getting off in front of Dave. There were times, in the early days of their relationship, where Kirk would just bend over Dave’s desk in his office and pleasure himself and Dave would watch. It wasn’t so much of an exhibitionist thing as it was a cat and mouse, teasing sort of thing. Nevertheless, the tableaux of Kirk hoisted on top of the counter and groping his erection made Dave _ache_.

“Having fun?” Dave wisecracks, flashing a trademark smirk.

“I’d have a lot more fun if you were over here,” Kirk responds, eyes looking pitch black and hooded with lust.

 _Say no more_ , Dave thinks to himself. He strides over towards Kirk and gets between his thighs. They work together in ridding Kirk of his pants, yanking them completely off after he’s had time to kick his shoes aside. Dave shimmies his pants down just enough to whip out dick, but otherwise leaves his pants on completely. Dave’s fully dressed while Kirk is lounging half naked on the counter. It’s probably not the most hygienic place to fuck someone, but neither of them care at this point. Dave’s more dead set on alleviating some of their arousal and stress.

Which is why he makes quick work and preparing Kirk. As much as Dave wishes Kirk could just be magically wet and ready for him, he’s always mindful to not hurt his lover just because he’s too horny. The reason Dave left the room momentarily surfaces when he pulls out the bottle of lubricant and coats his fingers in it, making Kirk squirm in excitement. Dave reaches down between the smaller man’s legs and probes his entrance with the tips of two fingers. He circles the hole firmly, coaxing out small noises from Kirk as he does. The boy is still somewhat sensitive and tender down there from last night, but not uncomfortably so. Kirk lives for the subtle tenderness.

Over the course of the next few minutes, Dave takes his time in loosening Kirk up and showering him in kisses and endearments. He calls him all the usual pet names while saying some dirty things to him as well. He’s whispering hotly in Kirk’s ear; nipping at his earlobes and sucking on his neck every so often. It brings about the sweetest little choked up moans he could ask for. Dave curls and thrusts three fingers deep inside of Kirk, petting his hair and calling him _daddy’s good little boy_ as he does it. He makes it a point to refrain from using terms such as _slut_ or _whore_ for obvious reasons. Kirk’s never minded being called those things before, but right now it might be in poor taste.

Either way, the moment Kirk starts to get restless is when Dave decides he can’t take it anymore. He wipes his hand off on his pants after he pulls his fingers out of Kirk and lets the young man drizzle lube along his cock. Kirk reaches out and strokes the lubricant all over Dave’s manhood with both of his delicate hands. He’s able to draw a few soft groans out of Dave as he does this, but he doesn’t spend much time teasing as he’s becoming too excited and impatient to wait any longer. He wants to feel _good_ and forget all about their fight.

“I need you inside me _now_ ,” Kirk demands, leading Dave closer to his body by his dick.

“You’re sexy when you get all bossy,” Dave remarks, cupping the sides of Kirk’s head in his hands. His fingers thread through dark curls as he leans in to kiss Kirk.

“You gonna fuck me or not?” Kirk tempts, hand still stroking Dave’s cock. “My ass is going numb from sitting up here.”

“ _Sweetie_ , you’re not even gonna be able to walk after this,” Dave vows.

And he’s not lying. The moment he enters Kirk it’s all over for him. Kirk is poised at the edge of the counter so that his ass is just barely hanging off, giving Dave the perfect amount of leverage to pound away at Kirk. His hips snap forcefully into Kirk’s, causing the younger man to tremble bodily each time. Dave’s fucking him so hard that Kirk ends up having to wrap his arms around Dave’s shoulders just to stay upright. His thrusts are so powerful that every once in awhile it’s enough to make Kirk pop up with it.

Dave has his hands all over Kirk. Sometimes they’re gripping Kirk’s thighs to keep him in place as they fuck, but more often than not they’re tangled in soft curls or squeezing Kirk’s neck tenderly. Kirk is panting and riding everything Dave doles out on him, whether it be the sheer force of Dave’s thrusts or all the things Dave does to him in between. Dave tends to be fixated towards his neck; biting it, sucking on it to leave his mark on smooth tan skin. But he also likes choking. Not enough to cut off oxygen, but just as a reminder. He gets off on the way his big hand easily eclipses Kirk’s supple throat, knowing that Kirk is completely at the mercy of blind faith and trust.

But through all the neck biting and sucking and distracted caressing, they fuck like rabbits in heat. Kirk’s breath is hitching almost consistently, gasping for air each time Dave pounds the breath out of him. His whole lower half is starting to fall asleep, but he still manages to hike his legs up and wrap them over Dave’s waist to pull him in closer. It boxes Dave in amd constricts his movement slightly, but this only serves to keep his thrusts short, deep, and fast; something akin to a primal sort of grind. And it _is_ animalistic in a way.

Kirk’s gotten to where he’s actively seeking out every bit of Dave he can get his hands on. He pulls on strawberry locks of hair and scratches his nails down Dave’s clothed back, sometimes even stretching the material with how much he yanks on it. Despite not having much feeling left in his ass, aside from the pressure of Dave’s cock filling him, he manages to clench his muscles along the thick intruder. If it hurts, Kirk can’t tell either way. All that matters is that he can still feel the sweet, delicious friction of Dave’s cock gliding over his prostate. The kind of pleasure that makes his toes curls and his body shudder.

“ _Daddy!_ ” Kirk whines on repeat, syllables becoming jumble and incoherent from time to time.

Dave notices halfway through fucking Kirk that the boy is utterly _wrecked_ beyond recognition and shaking profusely. Kirk’s whole body is trembling and quivering, vibrating even. His moans and whimpers come out all shaky and choked up, most likely due to how hard Dave is thrusting, but some of it has to be because Kirk is so fucking close to coming undone. Dave can see it in the way Kirk is shuddering, but he can also feel it. Kirk’s muscles are contracting and becoming taut the more Dave persists with this pace, leading him to believe that his orgasm is fast approaching.

That, and because Dave’s not too far off the mark himself. He hasn’t fucked this hard and fast in such a long time; wasn’t really sure if he still had the stamina for it, but on top off all the arguing and blood pressures rising he was able to power through it somehow. Kirk’s hole was gripping along his cock so tightly, and he was moving so quickly, that it almost felt like his cock was on the verge of being rubbed raw. _Kirk might not be able to walk, but my dick’s gonna be completely numb after this_ , Dave muses.

During the midst of Dave’s thought process Kirk’s entire body contracts, like a taut ball of rubber bands being stretched too thin, and he clamps every part of him around Dave. His legs lock tightly around him at the ankles, his arms are hugging Dave close, and his channel is like a vice keeping all the blood pooled in Dave’s erection. There’s a bit of discomfort for Dave for a brief lapse of time, but he welcomes it because he knows what it means.

Kirk lets out a pitiful little sob, something resembling a fake cry you would often use as a child at the start of a tantrum, and ceases up completely. Kirk buries his face into Dave’s long ginger hair and wails as he comes uncontrollably. His cock is trapped between their bodies, seemingly untouched through all this, but Dave’s dick has been continuously rubbing him in all the right places. His cock jerks and spurts accordingly as he can no longer hold it back and loses control, all while Dave continues to fuck him.

After Kirk’s finished coming, his body becomes more relaxed and boneless. He still hangs onto Dave’s shoulders so he doesn’t fall over, but he’s absolutely fucked out. From the waist down he’s comfortably numb, but he doesn’t miss how Dave’s cock seems to throb and pulse every once in a while. Kirk’s so sensitive down there that he has no control over the hiccups and whimpers that escape his mouth every time his prostate is over stimulated by Dave’s dick.

“Come inside me _daddy_ ,” Kirk begs, gasping as he clings to the older man.

“You’re still _mine_ , right? Are you still my best boy?” Dave beseeches, voice cracking with each harsh thrust.

“ _Always_ ,” Kirk promises, breath hitching. “Cross my heart.”

With a final shuddering cry of ecstasy, Dave buries his cock deep inside Kirk, releasing all of his pent up arousal and frustrations through the single most intimate act. Kirk’s face is all pinched, but he moans wantonly like he can’t get enough of feeling Dave coming inside him. He isn’t sure what does it for him: the warmth as it coats his insides or the build up of pressure. Whatever it is, Kirk revels in the sensation nonetheless as it expunges all the things that happened prior to this.

For the rest of the evening, they cuddle on the couch and watch whatever Kirk wants on Netflix, but Kirk almost instantly passes out shortly after dinner. Dave continues to hold him though, at least until the movie is finished, before he makes any type of attempt to move Kirk to the bedroom. He carries the small man in his arms up to their bedroom and lays the heap of warm skin and fluffy curls against the mattress. He pulls the blankets up over Kirk and stares down at him for a minute. He still feels terrible for the way he treated Kirk earlier today, but Dave has been understandably stressed out as of late.

He has half a mind to slink off to his study and look into the situation some more, maybe contact James and his buddy Rob, but Dave feels emotionally and physically drained after today. He decides to cut himself some slack and opts to just going to bed early. He makes himself decent for bed and slides under the covers next to his lover. Kirk unconsciously rolls over and huddles into Dave’s warmth on instinct. Dave reaches over and pulls the small man close to him, holding him gently. He wishes life can be as simple as holding onto the one you love, but Dave’s life wasn’t simple anymore. Starting tomorrow, Dave only has three days to make all this right again, or else Menza will be paying him a visit.

Tomorrow is when all of this shit gets real.


	9. Hard To Stop The Surmounting Terror

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Kind of a boring update because it's setting up for a more important/exciting chapter. Also, very sorry that an update took so long. I was covering prompts for my other series and working a lot. Nevertheless, hope you guys enjoy! 💖

Kirk was laying on his stomach on the bed he shared with Dave when he came to the next morning. He didn't remember walking up here so he figures Dave must have brought him here after he passed out on the couch. Dave even had the courtesy to undress him so he didn't fall asleep with jeans on. As consciousness slowly brings him back to a state of awareness he notices that he's been drooling on himself all night. The puddle left behind on his pillow is cold and makes him cringe slightly with discomfort.

Luckily, he's facing away from Dave's side of the bed so the older man doesn't have to see him looking all gross. Kirk wipes his mouth off with the back of his hand and rolls over. He peers over at the opposite side to find that Dave isn't there. While not out of the ordinary, it still worries Kirk just a little bit. He glances over at the clock and notices it's well past noon, nearly one o'clock, and groans before flopping back onto his stomach.

Dave must have heard him because he emerges from the adjoining bathroom and walks over towards Kirk's bedside. He kneels down to be face level with Kirk and reaches out to brush the hair out of his face. Kirk's eyes crack open and he gives Dave a dreamy smile that's both adorable and exhausted. He's curled up in a bundle of blankets and his hair's a mess, making him that much more alluring, and Dave returns the soft smile.

“You sleep alright?” Dave asks in a soft tone, stroking Kirk's cheek with his thumb.

“Yeah,” Kirk says with a yawn.

“You zonked out pretty quick last night and you slept in later than usual,” Dave points out, though he doesn't sound particularly concerned.

“I'm sorry.”

“Don't be. You've been through a lot, and I know I didn't really help things by being a jerk,” Dave apologizes. He's not afraid to admit when he's in the wrong. “You're just a little exhausted.”

“I guess I have to shower alone,” Kirk surmises, sitting up slowly.

“I was waiting for you to wake up so we could take one together,” Dave mentions quickly, kneeling at Kirk's feet now.

“You didn't have to do that. You should've woke me up sooner,” Kirk gushes, feeling a bit like a burden.

“I haven't been awake that much longer than you anyway,” Dave assures. Though that was a lie. He's been pouring over documents and numbers to see if they were adding up, but he didn't want to alarm Kirk. “Besides, you needed the rest.”

“It sounds like I'm more trouble than I'm worth,” Kirk deduces.

“Well, it sounds to me like you're worth all that trouble,” Dave replies ardently, reaching up to grasp Kirk's hands in his own.

He leans in and kisses Kirk's knuckles. Kirk is staring down at him, like angel waiting to pass judgement over Dave, with his head slightly tilted to one side. This is the moment Dave realizes he will do absolutely _anything_ for Kirk, even if it means giving his life. Who knows, it might even come to that within the next few days. Time is slowly ticking down for both of them, except Kirk doesn't know it yet. More importantly, Dave doesn't want him to know. He intends on keeping it that way for as long as he can before he can't anymore.

“You deserve a whole lot more than I'm able to provide and I know you could do better than me,” Dave admits, hanging his head down when he can't bring himself to look Kirk in the eyes.

He still feels shitty for the things he said and how he treated Kirk yesterday, but he was upset, and understandably so. That didn't mean it was okay and now Dave realizes just how lucky he is that Kirk didn't walk out on him yesterday. Kirk, however, was none the wiser on why he was also lucky for not leaving. If Kirk had left, there was no guarantee for his safety unless Dave had taken drastic measures and Dave didn't want to have to do that.

“What are you talking about?” Kirk asks, eyebrows furrowing in confusion. “If it wasn't for you, I'd still be dancing on a pole and snorting junk up my nose. I'd be lost without you, Dave.”

“You know that's not true. You could've done it with or without me,” Dave insists, sparing a glance up.

“ _Dave…_ ”

He isn't used to Dave being so mushy or sentimental, but his heart aches all the same. Dave sounds as if he's about to do something irrational that could get him into trouble and that scares Kirk a little. Dave is down on his knees staring up at him with this indescribable expression and holding his hands like this is the last time they'll see each other. It's both foreboding and heartfelt.

Before Kirk can comment on it, Dave is letting go of his hands and standing up before him. Kirk follows the motion with big imploring eyes and looks at Dave. Dave leans over him and coaxes Kirk to crawl backwards onto the bed, making the young man shuffle on his elbows as he reclines across the width of the mattress. Dave settles on top of Kirk and nestles himself between Kirk's thighs as they open up for him. The older man cranes his head down, letting his hair fall all around his shoulders and Kirk's chest, and begins to plant little kisses along the brunette's neck. It draws out the softest of sounds from Kirk.

“I'd give you the world if I could, because that's what you deserve,” Dave murmurs into Kirk's neck.

“I don't want the world,” Kirk tells him in earnest, wrapping his arms around Dave's body. “I just want you.”

Whatever drowsiness Kirk might have been feeling all but vanishes the moment Dave starts kissing and nipping his neck and collarbone. Kirk was always so easy to get in the mood. He isn't sure if its because he's still young and full of energy or if Dave just knows exactly what to do. Perhaps it's a little bit of both. Either way, he finds himself reacting to the foreplay all the same. It also doesn't help that Dave is pressing his hips into Kirk, creating friction between their bodies. Dave kisses his way along Kirk's jaw and breathes in his ear, sending shivers down his arms.

“You have incredibly low standards,” Dave remarks with a self depreciating chuckle.

“Shut up,” Kirk admonishes, arching into Dave as he claws at his lower back. “You're gonna ruin the mood.”

“Let me make it up to you then,” Dave says, raising up on his hands a little so he can look down at Kirk beneath him. “Come take a shower with me.”

Kirk smiles. The same smile that's always melted Dave's heart and was able to persuade him to do anything. It's been like that since the very beginning; part of the reason why this all started out the way it did. Kirk would flash those eyes and that smile while he was dancing and all Dave wanted to do is shower the kid in gifts just so he could keep seeing that joy lighting up Kirk's face. But soon enough Dave didn't have to do anything extra to please Kirk and they ended up falling in love. Now here they are trying to hold it all together.

They climb into the shower together after getting undressed and letting the water run for a minute to get warm. Both of them duck under the spray briefly to soak their hair, laughing a little as their vision gets obscured by they bangs. Kirk's hair gets weighed down by the water, straightening out his otherwise fluffy curls. Dave wipes the hair out of their faces and pulls Kirk close to him so their bodies can align. Kirk lays his hands on Dave's shoulders as Dave's arms wrap around his waist.

Time that could be spent getting clean instead gets replaced by Dave caressing Kirk's wet body and kissing him softly. Neither of them really expects anything to come of this as they find satisfaction in just holding each other as the warm spray of water engulfs them, trickling all around them from overhead and absolving them of all their stress if only for this moment. For the first time in a long time Kirk feels content, safe, and warm.

Eventually, Dave does grab the soap and spreads it all over Kirk's body, but he uses it more as an excuse to feel up the younger man. He likes the sensation of his hands sliding across slick, soapy skin as it coaxes Kirk to seek out more contact. Their lower halves rub against each other, getting carried away to the point where it becomes a problem they have to alleviate. But despite that eventuality, it wasn't so much about the release as it was giving much needed attention and love to Kirk.

Some of the things Dave is doing helps to speed up the process, like how his hands curl over the swell of Kirk's ass and grope it tenderly or how Dave licks the water dripping down his throat. The friction between them is all slippery and wet, causing their growing erections to slide seamlessly against one another. The next fifteen minutes or so are spent doing _everything_ but getting clean until both of them find completion in each other's arms. It isn't the most rewarding way, but it gets the job done.

Afterwards Kirk dries his hair and tames it to his liking before getting dressed for the day. He knows Dave has some important things to do today so he keeps himself busy and heads down to the kitchen to prepare some coffee while the older man takes a little time to shave and get ready. Dave hasn't made any despite waking up before Kirk, so he takes it upon himself to surprise Dave with a little pick me up. As if the shower wasn't sufficient enough already. It's probably a little too late in the afternoon to be drinking coffee for it to be socially acceptable, but if Starbucks stays open until eight thirty at night then who can really judge?

Kirk checks his phone while the coffee brews.

 **Cliff:** We should hang one of these days

Kirk smiles at the screen as he types up his response.

 **Kirk:** _Totally dude! We should throw a big going away party at the club before you leave._

He scrolls through his other texts after he hits send and spies a message from Junior he received sometime in the evening.

 **Junior:** Hey, I saw u leave with that James guy. Is everything okay?

There was another text sent by Junior about an hour or two after the first one.

 **Junior:** lol r u dead?

Kirk rolls his eyes.

 **Kirk:** _No I'm not dead. He just took me out to lunch._

Almost immediate response.

 **Junior:** Oh? How do I know this is really Kirk and not some hobo who looted his corpse?

 **Kirk:** _How else would I know about the time you drank too much during a shift and fell off the stage?_

 **Junior:** That could happen to anyone.

 **Kirk:** _Or how you broke your arm trying to break the fall and had to be rushed to the hospital._

 **Junior:** Ok and?

 **Kirk:** _And how you threw up on a member of the ER staff after you proclaimed your undying love for him._

 **Junior:** u promised u wouldn’t bring that up again!

Kirk shakes his head and chuckles a little to himself.

 **Junior:** ok… I believe u this time. But I'm onto u.

 **Kirk:** _Omg_

Kirk goes to set his phone down just as he hears a knock to the door. Kirk listens for a second to see if Dave heard the knock or not but doesn't hear any footfalls. Dave is still upstairs getting ready. Kirk goes to answer the front door, leaving the coffee to finish brewing in the meantime. He isn't sure who it could be. Maybe it's James? The probability of that makes Kirk's heart race a little seeing as how he enjoyed talking to the older man over lunch yesterday. A small little grin is tugging at Kirk's lips, but it quickly disintegrates the moment he opens up the door.

Standing before him is a tall, skinny man with shoulder length blonde hair and prominent cheekbones that almost make him appear emaciated. His gaze is stoic and placid while his lips seem to be perpetually stuck in a small smirk. He can't be much older than Marty; possibly late twenties, but he's got dark circles under his eyes that say otherwise. He looks _ill_ and Kirk immediately understands why. He's seen this man hanging around the club before.

"Hello young man. Is your daddy home?" The man asks politely, though there's a hint of snark Kirk doesn't quite appreciate.

"Maybe,” Kirk responds, hiding halfway behind the door as he closes it a little. “Who's asking?"

"An old friend,” he answers cryptically, a wide shark like grin spreading across his features.

Kirk is about two seconds away from slamming the door in this guy's face and screaming for Dave, but he's caught off guard when another guy steps out from behind the taller man.

"Hey, Kirk,” Lars greets, gnawing on a toothpick.

" _Lars?_ What are you doing here?" Kirk questions, absolutely taken aback by his sudden presence.

Lars looks the same as he did when he last saw him. Still short and bitter like an espresso with a baby face. His hair had grown out a little, but he was still otherwise the way Kirk remembers him. After all, it's only been a few months. But what the hell was Lars doing hanging around a shady dude like this for?

"Just business,” Lars replies casually, hands in his pockets. He looks Kirk up and down with a bored expression and nods at him. “You look good."

"What do you guys want?" Kirk inquires suspiciously, eyes flicking between Lars and the other guy.

"We just wanna talk with Dave,” says the tall blonde.

And, as if by divine intervention, Kirk hears Dave coming down the stairs and his heart rate picks up as his adrenaline kicks in.

"Kirk, who's at the door?" Dave calls out when he reaches the bottom of the staircase.

“I don't--”

Kirk's only able to get out a couple of words before the door is swinging open and he's being pushed out of the way. The skinny man bullies his way into the foyer without permission, causing Kirk to stumble back a little as he watches both men invade his and Dave's home unannounced. Kirk flashes a look of betrayal as him and Lars lock gazes briefly, but finds no remorse in Lars’ eyes. Lars used to be his friend. What the hell happened?

"Dave, you old sonofabitch!" The man announces loudly as he lets himself in.

He holds his arms out as if to greet Dave with a hug, but Dave disregards the gesture and instead gives him the cold shoulder. Kirk's surprised the ginger isn't tearing out their throats right now, but supposes it's because they know each other professionally.

“The fuck you think you're doing, Gar?” Dave demands, crossing his arms over his chest.

“Is that anyway to treat a guest?” Gar comments with a smug giggle.

“It is when you barge in here like you own the place,” Dave remarks, glancing past Gar and Lars briefly to see if Kirk is alright.

“My apologies. It's just been so long since we last saw each other! The excitement must be getting the better of me,” Gar excuses, resting his hands on his hips.

“The feeling _isn't_ mutual,” Dave deadpans.

“Not even a little?” Gar teases.

“You didn't answer my question,” Dave deflects, wanting to get rid of these two as fast as possible. “The fuck are you doing here?”

“We need to have a little chat you and I,” Gar sighs dramatically.

“About?”

“You'll find out soon enough,” Gar assures. “But first you have to come with us.”

“And what makes you think I'm going anywhere with you assholes?”

Instead of answering Dave, Gar seems to get distracted and turns his attention over towards Kirk who has been standing behind him as quiet as a mouse this entire time. Gar approaches the small man slowly, noticing how the brunette cowers before him and smirks. Kirk doesn't dare move despite wanting to back away when Gar gets way too close for comfort. Gar licks his lips and leans in towards Kirk's space, not quite breaching it but making him uncomfortable nonetheless.

“Well, well, well. Aren't you just the prettiest little thing I've ever seen,” Gar surmises, looking him up and down. “Kirk, was it?”

Kirk doesn't answer, opting to remain silent. He stares up at Gar like a deer caught in headlights and stands perfectly still. It feels as if he's going to hyperventilate with how fast his heart is beating. Kirk thinks fleetingly that Gar can smell fear because the guy's smirk widens.

“Leave him alone,” Dave orders firmly, getting Gar to turn back around.

“What? I'm just getting to know Kirk here a little,” Gar states, playing off his interest as if his motives were innocent. “Nothing wrong with that.”

“I don't care. I said stay away from him,” Dave reiterates.

“You don't wanna be my friend so I'm making a new one,” Gar explains.

“If I go with you pricks will it shut you up?” Dave snaps.

Gar was the one responsible for supplying his dancers with drugs back in the day, including Kirk. Not _him_ directly, but he sent out cronies like Lars to sell them. He doesn't like the idea of splitting and just abandoning Kirk so abruptly, but he likes the idea of leaving Gar around him even less. So he chooses the lesser of two evils and submits to Gar's little game.

“Atta boy! Now you're playing ball,” Gar remarks.

“Blow me…” Dave mutters.

This prompts Gar and Lars to snicker under their breath. They make their way back towards the front door with Dave following close behind. Kirk looks bereft as Dave walks by him. Kirk reaches out and grabs the older man by the wrist to stop him dead in his tracks, making Dave turn to face him. Kirk holds onto him like he's never going to let go so Dave clasps the brunette's hand in his own and pulls him in close. Dave's other hand comes up to cup the side of Kirk's face and caresses it gently.

“Please don't go,” Kirk begs, whispering so the other two can't hear him.

“I have to, baby,” Dave sighs, holding Kirk's face. “As much as I don't want to.”

“I don't wanna be _alone_ ,” Kirk almost whines, starting to get upset because he knows these guys are trouble. Maybe not so much Lars, but this Gar guy is bad news.

“There's a little black book in the top drawer of my desk in my study,” Dave tells him. “Find James’ number and call him immediately.”

“What if he doesn't answer?” Kirk worries.

“He will,” Dave promises. He leans in and kisses Kirk on lips. He can hear the other two making kissy noises from behind, mocking him, but Dave ignores it. “I don't know how long I'll be gone, so I need you to be brave. Can you do that for me, sweetheart?”

“Yes, Dave.”

He can see the tears welling up in Kirk's eyes and wishes it didn't have to be like this, but Dave has no choice. He isn't sure what Gar's angle is yet or what he's doing here, but it can't be anything good. He knows Gar does some work for Menza here and there, but he doesn't know if that's connected in any way. Regardless, Dave needs to keep these guys as far away from Kirk as possible. Not only were they pushers, but loan sharks on top of that. So, you know, just all around _good_ company...

“I love you,” Dave murmurs.

“I love you, too,” Kirk reciprocates.

Dave gives Kirk one last kiss before Gar clears his throat impatiently, beckoning Dave to let go of his lover and leave with the other men. Kirk can only stand there and watch as Dave leaves, cringing a little when Gar glances over his shoulder to give him a little wink. The door clicks shut, signaling the coffee machine to go off in the nick of time, but coffee is the last thing on Kirk's mind right now.

He swipes his phone from the kitchen counter and scampers off towards the staircase, running up them as fast as he can, and bursts into Dave's study. It takes Kirk a moment to rifle through the drawers before he finds Dave's address book, but he locates James’ number in no time flat. Kirk punches in the number on his phone quickly and holds it up to his ear. His hand is shaking as the dial tone rings out. Kirk doesn't know why he's so emotional, but the fact that Dave told him to call James meant that something wasn't right.

“Hello?”

“James! It's Kirk,” he answers hastily, feeling his pulse lurch ever so slightly.

“Kirk? What's wrong?” James asks with urgency, hearing the building panic in Kirk's voice.

“Dave told me to call you--”

“Say no more,” James cuts off. “I'm on my way.”


	10. You Want In To Get Under My Skin

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> It's ya boi back at it again with another update 😎 This chapter is mostly just people talking (not gonna lie) but I had a ton of fun writing it, so I hope you guys enjoy it!

Dave hates leaving Kirk alone, especially now when everything's going to shit, but keeping these fuckwits away from Kirk is his best option right now and perhaps having a talk with Gar will shed a little light on the situation at hand. He doubts it, but Dave will play along for now and see what Gar's really up to. Maybe it's dumb of Dave to willingly climb in the back of Gar's rickety Cadillac without knowing where they're going, but Gar isn't stupid enough to try something. At least Dave hopes he's not.

They ride mostly in silence with the exception of the radio playing in the background. Gar and Lars talk amongst themselves about nonsense as Dave looks out the car window to see what part of town they're heading to just in case shit goes down. They're on the shitty side of town, no surprise there, where junkies and prostitutes hang around. A friend of Dave's used to have a butcher shop over here, but he crossed a line with Menza and now the neighborhood's gone to hell. Ironic how someone as shady as Menza keeps neighborhoods safe and clean.

Menza might be a bastard, but he's not a _fucking bastard_.

Eventually, they reach their destination and pull over beside the curb. Gar shuts the car off and climbs out with Lars following his lead. Dave steps out of the car, feeling it dip under his weight as he shifts and slams the door close. The car makes a few creaking noises before finally settling. Dave walks around the backside of the car while Gar goes around the front and follows the two men down a nondescript alleyway. It feels like a setup to being murdered and left without a trace and Dave has to admit it kind of puts him on edge for a moment.

It's broad daylight, sure, but it's in a shitty part of town and there aren't any witnesses around. At least none that'd be willing to talk after being paid off to keep silent. Dave isn't sure if Gar and/or Lars is packing any heat. All Dave knows is that he's unarmed since he left in such a hurry. He tries not to think about that as both goons come to a stop and turn around to face him. On the outside, Dave is calm and collected, expression stoic and unwavering, but inside his heart is slightly out of cadence. Not exactly pumping out of fear, but with adrenaline.

"Lovely office you guys got here,” Dave scoffs as he takes a look around the filthy alley; coming off as nonchalant. “Is there a reason why you assholes dragged me here?"

"Straight to the point. I like that,” Gar applauds, clasping his hands together. An all too cheery smile spreads across his face and looks Dave directly in the eyes. He almost looks maniacal. “We wanna know where Jason is."

"Jason? What the fuck do you want Jason for?" Dave inquires, eyebrows knitting together in confusion.

Why is Jason such a popular subject as of late? Everyone was talking about Jason; he even overheard a few of the staff talking about him in hushed whispers yesterday. He was told Jason was visiting family back home. Was there something Dave was missing?

"Jason owes us a lot of money. We tried being reasonable, giving him a chance, but he missed a payment and now it's a week overdue,” Gar divulges, wrapping it all up in a sigh.

Well that explains why Gar is so keen on finding Jason. Dave's aware that Jason was in debt, even offered him money out of his own pocket to help the kid out, but refused any type of charity thrown his way. Jason is stubborn like that. He wanted to pay it back with his own money and he stayed on top of it as well. Dave always made sure to check in with him every couple of weeks, but this past month has been especially tasking and now Dave isn't sure what's going on with Jason anymore. He'd be lying if he said he wasn't worried now.

“We asked around your club, but those whores of yours must have a fucking Union or something 'cus none them seemed too enthusiastic on telling us what we wanted to know,” Gar continues.

"They're not whores,” Dave defends, finding Gar's tone exceptionally rude. He doesn't like it when people disrespect his dancers. They were just people trying to get by like everyone else. “I can't help it if they stick up for their own. That's their choice."

"But what about you Dave? You're not a whore,” Gar acknowledges, ignoring Dave's attempt to stuck up for his staff. “They're not your kind. So maybe you can help me and my colleague solve this little mystery,” he says, gesturing over towards Lars before turning back to Dave. “Where's Jason, Dave?"

"I don't fucking know,” Dave says resolutely.

Which, technically, isn't a lie. Dave only knows what he's been told. There's no telling if Jason is actually with his family or not if the gossip and whispers are anything to go by.

" _Really?_ You have _no_ clue?” Gar asks, squinting over at the ginger suspiciously. “I find that hard to believe."

"Tough shit. Ain't my problem,” Dave says with an impassive expression.

"Ah, you see that's where you're sorely mistaken. Jason has something that belongs to us, Jason belongs to you and your _establishment_ ,” Gar explains, stepping towards Dave as he moves his hands around impatiently. “Therefore, through divine osmosis, _you_ have something that belongs to _us_."

"He's an employee, not a slave,” Dave clarifies. “I don't _own_ Jason or any of my other dancers."

"You're still responsible for him,” Lars points out.

" _Cool_. I still don't know where he is,” Dave deflects, sounding bored as Gar tries the nice guy approach into getting information out of him.

Gar seems displeased by Dave's prerogative to be willfully stubborn, finding it to be an inconvenience, but Dave honestly doesn't give a shit. Strike one was them pushing their way into his home, strike two was Gar bothering Kirk, and strike three is them trying to interrogate him. Dave was done pissing around with guys like Gar who didn't know their place in the world. How dare he talk down to Dave while pretending like they were all friends. Gar didn't know the meaning of respect.

The skinny blonde's lips curl into a smirk, signaling the shift in his approach to get what he wants. Dave's seen it all too many times to know what's coming next. Without even turning, Gar acknowledges Lars with a question while keeping eye contact with Dave as if it's supposed to scare the older man.

"Lars?"

"Yeah?" Lars speaks up.

"Jason and Kirk are pretty close friends aren't they?" Gar asks, still smirking at Dave.

Dave can sense that Gar thinks he's got the upper hand now, mentioning Kirk as if he'd even be close to working that pressure point, but he’s incredibly naive despite how much he boasts. He lacks the conviction and stance to threaten him unlike Menza. All it does is piss Dave off, but maybe that was Gar's plan all along. Whether Dave gives him information or not.

"I'd assume so,” Lars concurs, glancing over at his partner. “What are you thinking, boss?"

"I'm thinking maybe we should head on back to Dave's place and have a little chat with Kirk,” Gar mentions casually as if he's planning an outing with friends.

"You lay one finger on him and I'll tear your fucking heart out and feed it to you,” Dave swears, keeping a level head even when Gar's flirting with his patience.

"That's a bit rude,” Gar observes, scoffing as if he's offended.

"What's rude is you and your little weasel barging into my home unannounced,” Dave retorts. “You're lucky I don't knock your fucking teeth out right now."

"Such anger and hostility,” Gar coos, holding a hand to his heart like he's hurt. His expression shifts and he's back to smiling. “That kid must _really_ have you whipped."

"Believe it or not he used to have a thing with Junior,” Lars mentions while chewing on a toothpick; hands in his pockets.

"Is that so?" Gar entertains, smirking wider now as if this news changes anything.

It doesn't. It's only meant to get a rise out of Dave. He knows what Gar's angle is now. Gar's aware that he isn't getting anything out of Dave and because of that he's trying to toy with the older man in hopes it will scare him into compliance. But Gar is a small fish in a big pond to someone like Dave, he just doesn't know it yet.

"Yeah, so what? I've been with plenty of my dancers back in the day,” Dave admits, crossing his arms over his chest; unfazed. “What's your point?"

"Oh, nothing. Just interesting is all. _You_ dated Junior for a while didn't you Lars?" Gar asks, pivoting his body towards the shorter man.

"Sure did. Told me all kinds of things about _you_ Dave,” says Lars. His tone is less antagonistic, but he's fueling the fire. “Like how you were still dating him when you first started fooling around with Kirk."

"That was a misunderstanding,” Dave states in a sombre tone.

And yeah, it was the truth. _Mostly_. The first time him and Kirk hooked up in his office Dave was still attached to Junior, but only for the first time. Dave even admitted it to Junior before breaking up with him and Junior was completely understanding. He may have been a little hurt at the time, but Junior knew what their relationship was from the start. Even with that knowledge, Dave still felt kind of guilty with how things ended between him and Junior. But there wasn't any bad blood. Junior still works at the club and he's one of Kirk's best friends. End of story.

"Then I guess you won't mind if we tell Kirk that,” Lars quips, huffing out an unconvinced scoff.

"Are you trying to blackmail me?" Dave accuses, glaring over at Lars.

"We just wanna know where Jason is and no one will get hurt,” Gar promises, then adds, “Physically or otherwise."

"I already told you, I don't know where Jason is,” Dave says for the umpteenth time. He doesn't know how much longer Gar can keep this up. Possibly forever. “Even if I did, I wouldn't tell you shit. I'm not a snitch like that weasel over there."

"Fock off!" Lars spits, the insult getting him riled up.

"Hey, hey, hey! Don't insult the guy,” Gar subdues, holding Lars back. “Might hurt his feelings."

" _Boo-hoo_ ,” Dave mutters.

"I don't think you understand the gravity of the situation, Dave. Lars and I can make your life a living hell if you don't cooperate,” Gar threatens, hoping to intimidate Dave.

It fails, obviously.

"My life already _is_ a living hell,” Dave scoffs mirthlessly, finding the thought of Gar threatening him particularly humorous. “I got more important things to deal with than you two right now."

"Oh yeah? Like owing Menza a fuck ton of money,” Gar replies coolly.

Dave's face all but drops, losing the otherwise stern scowl that had been perpetually plastered across it. Only James, Marty, and himself really know what's going on and there's no fucking way Menza would tell two pissants like Gar and Lars about his business. Gar might be associated with Menza, but he was really low tier in the grand scheme of things. He still has to wonder as to how Gar found out in the first place.

"Who told you that?"

"Does it matter? People gossip all the time in this business, you know that. Word travels fast, but time goes by even quicker,” Gar ruminates ominously. He tilts his head slightly and smirks at the ginger. “How long do you have before you're fucked Dave?"

"That doesn't concern you two, so I fail to see why bringing that up is relevant."

"Well, if you're telling the truth about not knowing where Jason is, then maybe we can help each other out,” Gar postulates.

"How do you figure?"

"Maybe Jason ran off with your money and skipped town,” Gar theorizes, raising his eyebrows as if waiting for a reaction.

"He wouldn't do that,” Dave admonishes.

"Why? You fock him too?" Lars chuckles.

"In any case,” Gar interrupts before Dave can react to Lars’ taunt. “We're here if you need us.”

"Yeah, I need you like I need a gun to my head,” Dave mumbles with a shake of his head.

"We want the same thing Dave,” Gar implores, playing mental gymnastics like it's going out of style.

"Which is..?” Dave eggs on, genuinely curious to see where this is going.

"Retribution,” Gar says plainly, but his expression is more serious this time. “ _Even stevens_."

"I don't want retribution. I just wanna get on with my life,” Dave sighs.

He's tired of this back and forth. He's fed up with people bothering him and using him to get ahead in the world. Dave's invested too much into this business and he isn't about to throw it all away on a whim that Gar might actually want to help him. Dave might be an idiot sometimes, but he isn't stupid; if that makes any sense. Dave has already made up his mind on the matter and isn't going to budge for anything. Sure, he has his suspicions about Jason now, but he'll seek them out on his own terms. Fuck Gar.

Gar can sense this in Dave's voice and posture and he realizes that none of his tricks are working. In a decidedly cruel shift in tone, Gar steps forward, arms over his chest, and drops the cocky wise guy persona that failed him in favor for a more foreboding, no nonsense stance.

"If you know what's good for Kirk and yourself, you'll reconsider my offer,” Gar mentions as if it's an ultimatum.

"Don't tell me how to take care of my business,” Dave snaps, feeling offended that Gar would even _try_ using that against him. “You've already ruined enough lives as it is. Getting kids like Kirk and Jason hooked on that crap of yours and trapping them in debt."

"Big talk coming from someone like _you_ ,” Gar lectures, scowling. “How many lives have you ruined to get where you are Dave? How many families have you torn apart just to get ahead in your pursuit for power?"

"I did what I had to. I'm not saying what I did was right, but it wasn't all for nothing,” Dave defends.

He's done some fucked up shit in his time, but he actually made something of himself. The work he does now is honest and no one gets hurt. He doesn't make his dancers do anything that might make them uncomfortable and he pays them fair. There is no underlying business or side operation in the works. Dave runs a club and that's it. He started with nothing, but he earned his place in life and he'd be damned if all of that came crashing down around him because of some thief or asshole. Gar started at the bottom and is still there. Dave has integrity. Gar is conniving. That's what separates them.

“What you do is so much worse. Peddling that poison and getting people hooked so they keep coming back,” Dave reiterates, disgusted that Gar would even dare to bring him down to his level. “You should count your blessings that no one's put a hit out on you yet."

The atmosphere in the alleyway goes deathly quiet for the briefest of seconds and Dave thinks he can see Lars turn pale off to the side. Gar's eyes are wide and focused on Dave like an owl, almost like his brain is trying to comprehend what Dave's just said to him. Gar can think he's a big player in this business all he wants, but it doesn't change the way Dave speaks to him. Gar's arms drop to his sides and Dave notices how his bottom eyelid twitches slightly in irritation.

"Is that a threat Dave?" Gar asks calmly, though his anger is barely veiled by his _professionalism_ , for lack of a better word.

"It is if you keep fucking with me,” Dave warns and he isn't backing down from this one. Gar can't just come waltzing in acting like he owns Dave. Fuck that noise.

"Then tread lightly, my friend. Wouldn't want Menza to find out you’re threatening his associates,” Gar informs.

This causes Dave to let out a side-splitting laugh that shocks himself and the other two men. It’s both mystifying and infuriating to Gar.

"Menza doesn't give a shit about you. You're just a pawn to him. You honestly think he'll care if you go missing?" Dave mocks, a look of perplexed amusement gracing his face.

Gar looks like he's about to crack from the sheer road rash of being dragged so brutally by Dave. The look on his face is worth the price of admission; almost like he can't believe someone would have the gall to talk to him like that. Like he was untouchable. But he isn't. Dave might be in his forties and he might not be as virile as his younger counterpart, but he isn't a pushover. If Gar wants a fight, he'll throw down.

"Wanna test your luck and find out old man?" Gar goads, jaw clenched so hard his teeth might shatter.

He looks as if he's ready to swing at Dave any moment now, but before either of them can _find out_ Lars is getting between them much like how Gar held Lars back earlier.

"We about done with this pissing match yet?" Lars complains.

"Shut up, Lars,” Gar scolds, pushing the shorter man aside.

"You just gonna let him tell you what to do? Push you around?" Dave provokes. Lars’ eyes dart over towards Dave as he addresses him.

"Leave him out of it. This isn't about him,” Gar states, holding a hand out to block Lars.

"This isn't about Kirk either, but you had no problem dragging him into the conversation,” Dave points out. He plants his feet firmly in the ground and crosses his arms. “I'm just using your own tactic against you, you hypocrite."

"I know what you're trying to do. It's not gonna work. Lars is a loyal dog,” Gar proclaims, reaching out to squeeze Lars on the shoulder. “He does as he's told."

"Hear that, Lars? Gar just called you his bitch,” Dave pokes, hoping to instigate some sort of animosity between the two.

"Watch it, Mustaine,” Gar warns.

"Are you really gonna risk your life for this asshole just so he can save face?" Dave asks, ignoring Gar as he focuses all his attention on Lars.

"Yes, he is,” Gar answers, clutching at Lars’ shoulder with a tight grip. He glances over at Lars and gives him a death stare. “If he knows what's good for him."

"Does he answer for you now too, Lars?" Dave argues, watching as Lars’ eyes bounce between him and Gar.

He's getting under Gar's skin now. His control is slowly diminishing and his temper is coming front and center, but for all his talk Gar's too much of a coward to actually shut Dave up. His only defense is to argue; run his mouth. Gar might scare people like Jason or Lars or any of his other _customers_ , but he's fucking with the wrong person now. A part of Dave secretly hopes Gar will take a swing, just once. _Just give me a reason to lay you out_ , Dave prays internally, but Gar's fists stay clenched at his sides.

“This prick called you a weasel and a snitch,” Gar reminds, grasping at anything to win Lars over with.

"He _is_ a weasel and a snitch,” Dave says nonchalantly.

"See? Even admits it right to your face."

"I honestly couldn't care less about what happens to you. I'm just letting you know, man to man, that Gar _will_ get you killed. Maybe not today. Maybe not tomorrow. But you will die if you hang around him long enough,” Dave advises, taking on a more serious tone now.

It looks as if the realization of that is finally sinking in and Dave thinks that maybe, _just maybe_ , Lars will wise up and walk away while he still has a chance. Highly unlikely given the circumstances, but anything's possible.

"I get paid to follow orders,” Lars replies, face placid and stoic; unfeeling.

"If Gar told you to put a gun to your head and pull the trigger, would you do it?" Dave asks, shifting closer to face Lars head on.

A look of apprehension flits across Lars’ face as if he's contemplating Dave's question. _Good_ , Dave thinks. _He should be concerned about his own safety._ He can see Gar squirming out of the corner of his eye and Dave almost believes that Lars will cave in and turn his back on Gar for good right here and now. But the overbearing weight of Gar's piercing gaze is burning holes into Lars and the small man relents despite his best efforts. Dave smirks as Lars refuses to answer, but Dave can see it in Lars’ eyes as clear as day. He shakes his head with a scoff.

"That's what I thought,” Dave scolds, face contorted bitterly. He can tell Lars wants to say something, but he keeps his mouth shut like he's been trained to do.

"I think we're done here,” Gar finally announces, getting between Dave and Lars.

"'Bout fucking time. You bastards wasted enough of it as it is,” Dave huffs.

Gar just grins at him again, smile lines spreading across his cheeks gradually, and snatches Lars up by his arm. Dave wonders how much trouble he's got Lars in by provoking a reaction out of him, but knows it's for the best. After this, Lars will second guess everything he's told and see Gar's true colors. It's only a matter of time. Gar pulls Lars back down the alleyway, making the poor guy have to stumble along. It's an action that further proves all of Dave's points.

"I'll be seeing you around, old man,” Gar calls out over his shoulder as he waves Dave goodbye before disappearing entirely.

Dave stands there in the alley for a few moments longer, listening as Gar's car peels out. Dave grabs his phone out of his pocket and makes a call.


	11. I Put A Spell On You

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> The chapter that took way too long to be written... Sorry for such a late update and sorry if this chapter isn't like super exciting or anything (I know I say that every time). 
> 
> We're at that point in the story where it starts to pick up a little. There's a lot of drama and sexual tension and maybe even a little bit of mystery/paranoia, so I hope ye guys enjoy it!

Kirk is pacing back and forth. It's been nearly fifteen minutes since Dave left with Lars and that scary blonde guy; fifteen minutes since Kirk called James. He's getting anxious, resorting to biting on his thumbnail as the seconds tick on by and there's still no sign of James or Dave coming to his rescue. A million nagging thoughts were floating around in Kirk's head at the speed of light. _What if something happens to Dave? Can I really trust James to protect me? Do I even have a choice in all of this?_

"I wish Marty was here," Kirk says forlornly, voicing his despair to no one. "Or Jason, or Junior, or Cliff… _Anybody…_ "

He stops chewing on his nails and rubs idly at his arm, looking around his home as if he were searching for the people he trusted most in this world. Jason would tell him the cheesiest jokes to cheer him up, Junior would lighten the mood with one of his crazy stories, and Cliff and Marty would protect him like their lives depended on it. They'd be here for him in a heartbeat, no questions asked. So where the hell is James? What was taking him so long? Dave obviously trusts him, but he still hasn't shown and Kirk is starting to freak out.

The worst thing in all of this is that Kirk doesn't really know what he's even supposed to be worried about. Sure, two guys show up and take his lover away to have a little _talk_ , but other than that Kirk was completely in the dark. He doesn't know about Menza or the money problem. Doesn't know that one of his close good friends _might_ be a thief and is trying to sabotage Dave. Kirk's in the dark, only seeing what's in front of him a few feet ahead, and completely unaware of what lurks in the darkness beyond. He doesn't know that his days are numbered, much like Dave's.

Kirk eyes his cellphone on the coffee table as he circles it nervously. He put it there so he wouldn't feel compelled to call one of the guys and drag them into this horrible situation, but his resolve is crumbling fast. Kirk can't tear his eyes away from his phone. He's itching to call Marty, knowing that he'll come to Kirk's rescue even if it meant shutting down the club for the day and suffering Dave's wrath. But he'd do it. Marty would take a risk like that just for Kirk. His loyalty and love is unconditional when it comes to Kirk. Maybe it's unfair of Kirk to suggest taking advantage of Marty's obvious crush on him, but even if that wasn't the case Marty would still be here for him.

Regardless, it doesn't stop Kirk from picking up his phone even with all the other repercussions going through his head. He could get Marty in trouble with Dave and Dave would no doubt be pissed off at him as well, but Kirk is scared and alone and needs someone here _right now_. He unlocks the screen and goes to his contacts. He stares at Marty's number for a solid thirty seconds with his thumb hovering over the little phone icon. He's one click away from dragging Marty all the way down here when he hears a faint, familiar rumbling coming from down the street outside.

Kirk's breath catches in his throat and pauses briefly staring towards a window that overlooks the street. Kirk waits a few more seconds and the sound gets louder; closer. His heart stops the moment realization hits him and he practically throws his phone back onto the coffee table to peel out toward the front door. Kirk fumbles with the lock and knob, not bothering to shut the door behind him as it slams open. He bounds down the stairs taking two at a time and nearly twists his ankle once he gets down to the little terrace at the very base of the staircase.

All Kirk sees is a tall figure climbing off a motorcycle before he's lunging and throwing his entire body at the man. Kirk relaxes when arms come up around him to keep him from face planting in the concrete. Kirk buries his face in the man's chest, babbling and sniveling gratefully now that he isn't alone anymore. He doesn't even notice he has tears in his eyes until he calms down enough to peel himself away slightly to look up at his savior. The tears make his vision foggy, but the smell of cologne and motor oil is unmistakable.

"You came for me!" Kirk cries, sniffling pitifully as he clutches at James.

"I said would," James reassures with a chuckle, reaching up to card a hand through Kirk's hair.

James holds the young man close, going so far as to use his free hand to wipe away the tears rolling down pristine cheeks. Kirk's eyes are swimming, making them shimmer as the sun shines upon his wet and ruddy face. James caresses his thumb across Kirk's cheek, getting the kid to smile and relax into his touch. Kirk is latched onto him so tightly that James can feel how he trembles slightly or how he hiccups every so often when he tries to swallow. Kirk is grabbing onto the front of his shirt like he's afraid James will disappear if he lets go and the notion makes James' heart swell.

He can't begin to imagine the stress and fear going through Kirk's mind right now and James swears it makes him wrap his arms around Kirk even tighter. Here they are, complete strangers, and James can't help but feel a great sense of responsibility and protectiveness for Kirk. Which makes sense since Dave's entrusted him with the duty of keeping Kirk safe, but it wasn't just that. He doesn't want to say it's love, because that is a crooked and dangerous road to go down, but James has acquired a certain _fondness_ for Kirk through their brief encounters for sure. Kirk just has this aura that pulls you in and makes you want to do absolutely everything for him.

"I was so scared you weren't gonna show," Kirk says, hiccuping through his tears. He doesn't know why he's so hysterical right now. Maybe he's just overflowing with relief.

"I'm here now. You don't have to be afraid anymore," James reassures, running his hand up and down the small of Kirk's back. "Lets go inside so you can calm down and catch your breath. And when you're ready, you can tell me everything that happened. That sound okay?"

"Yes," Kirk concurs, flashing James a bright, grateful smile as he sniffles.

James surveys his surroundings briefly before directing Kirk back towards the house. He guides the young man back up the stairs with a hand on the small of his back, all while keeping an eye open for anything suspicious. He doubts Kirk's life is in danger right this minute, but he's cautious nonetheless. Seeing Kirk fly down the stairs and glomp him not only took James by surprise, but it also had him worried. If Kirk called James then that can only mean one thing. Something happened to Dave. James had to assume it wasn't _too_ serious or else Kirk would be hysterical right now. As it stands, Kirk's holding up fairly well all things considered.

They get to the top of the stairs and James notices the door wide open. Kirk must have heard his motorcycle and booked it out of the house like a bat out of hell. James shuts the door behind them and locks it. He spares a glance around the big open living room area as Kirk leads him further inside his and Dave's home. James hasn't been over too often, aside from the other day when him and Dave had a chat in his study, but it certainly looks different from what he remembers. The place is more decorated and clean and James has to assume it's because of Kirk. It was as if Kirk had breathed life and character into Dave's home and just taking one look around was physical proof of the positive impact Kirk had on Dave's life.

Before all of this, Dave had bouts of depression and was notorious for hitting the bottle on occasion. He kept to himself mostly which, in turn, brought his deep seeded paranoia to light. Dave was a total recluse. Still _is_ a recluse, but for different reasons, you see. James thinks the one off relationships he's had over the years has attributed to his overall view on the world. It was clear that Dave had it in his head that the only way for someone to love him back was to pay for it; was convinced everything else was a lie. But then Kirk came along and flipped his perception on it's head. At least, that's what James has gathered.

What's weird is that despite Dave's obvious behavioral change, he never once mentioned Kirk to James; never saw them together up until recently, but it made sense in a weird way. When Dave was dating his dancers, namely Junior and a brief fling with Jason (as well as many others along the way), he seemed adamant on parading them around like a trophy to show everyone how lucky he was even when it was blatantly obvious how unhappy he was for the most part. But Kirk was different, apparently. Dave kept Kirk all to himself and refrained from showing him off. The kid was a secret, even to James.

James has to wonder what it is about Kirk that enchanted Dave in the first place. Surely it wasn't just because Kirk is beautiful (which might have been the initial reason). There's no way Dave would care this much about Kirk just because of a pretty face. There was something else going on there. James doesn't need all the specifics, because the final answer ultimately outweighed the reasoning. Dave is in love. Simple as that. It took him years of going through countless other boys, but he'd finally found _the one_. James knows it's ridiculous to be jealous since he's had his own true love, but when James looks at Kirk, he can't help but feel _envious_.

But maybe that's just the effect Kirk has on people. He's alluring; not just in a physical sense, but also in the way he reels you in with his innocence. He just makes you want to protect him and take care of him. Dave isn't the only one affected by Kirk's wiles. It's more than apparent that Marty and Cliff feel the same way. Maybe even Junior's in love with Kirk to some degree. James only lingers on this train thought because he's beginning to understand some things that didn't make sense before. The puzzle was starting to fall into place, but some pieces were still missing.

James was sure of one thing, however. Kirk is innocent in all of this. Maybe it's naive to make such a bold assumption, and perhaps that's Kirk's charm working to his advantage, but James can't see Kirk double crossing Dave. Kirk is just as in love with Dave as Dave is with him.

Then there's _side "B"_. Let's say Kirk _is_ the one embezzling money from Dave's safe. He has the access and the wherewithal to accomplish such a grift. He has Dave under a spell, one that plenty others seem to be affected by too, so it's not too far fetched that Kirk would have Dave blindly wrapped around his finger. But Dave has already had his suspicions about Kirk, concerning Marty. Kirk could easily come up with a lie explaining away how sketchy it looked with him and Marty being alone in Dave's office together. And, despite his better judgment, Dave would inevitably believe Kirk. There's no doubt in James' mind that Kirk could easily pull that off, but there's a problem with that theory… _Why?_

What motive could Kirk possibly have in stringing Dave along? Kirk already gets what he wants at the drop of a hat, so what could more money really do for him? Unless it isn't about the money. Who knows, maybe the reason is more sentimental or personal than that... Simply put, James believes Kirk has the _potential_ to be behind this whole fiasco, but the facts don't quite line up right. Then again, perhaps James is under the same illusion as Dave and everyone else who comes into contact with Kirk.

But the question still remains: _who serves to gain the most out of this situation?_

Before James can elaborate further on that thought, the sound of sniffling reaches his ears and he's brought out of his inner monologue. He's completely forgot where he is for a split second before his surroundings start to slowly register again. Kirk is standing over by the couch, furiously wiping away tears and using the heel of his palm to smear snot from his nose in an attempt to get it to stop running. His cheeks are ruddy and they're streaked with fresh and drying tears. It makes James want to just reach out and hold the distraught young man in his arms and tell him everything's going to be okay.

"You wanna come make some coffee with me?" James offers as he holds a hand out towards Kirk.

"Okay," Kirk agrees, hiccuping.

Kirk quickly wipes his palms off on his jeans and accepts James' gesture. Kirk's hand is clammy yet _oh so_ fragile compared to James', but his grip is clingy and it causes James to hold on a little tighter himself. James leads him into the kitchen and when they get there Kirk asks James if he could give him a boost onto the counter. James wants to joke and say he's too old to be getting _that_ physical, but he acquiesces to Kirk's request and grabs the young man by the hips. Kirk holds onto his shoulders as he lifted off of the ground and placed on the edge of the counter. A shudder quakes it's way through Kirk's body, reminding him of yesterday when Dave had fucked him in this very spot, prompting James to cock an eyebrow.

"You okay?"

"Yeah, I'm fine."

But Kirk is really just trying not to get turned on right now at the memory of how angry and possessive and hot Dave was yesterday. He folds his hands in his lap and swings his legs front to back as they dangle off the counter. He also tries not to think about how big James' hands felt on his hips or how broad his shoulders are. James is a lot more bulky compared to Dave, but Kirk already knew that from the motorcycle ride they shared. Kirk can still feel how strong James' body felt in his arms; could practically imagine James picking him up and setting him down on his motorcycle as if they were Eddie and Columbia from Rocky Horror Picture Show.

Kirk feels guilty for cooking up such fantasies, but that's all they were. _Fantasies_. Dave may or may not be the one for him, but Kirk can't help it if he's attracted to other men. He's sure Dave looks at other boys too, but he trusts Dave to not act upon any urges he might get. Kirk's well aware of Dave's track record with boys, but Kirk likes to think Dave's actions speak louder. Dave has a short temper, their fight yesterday is proof of that, but he's also a passionate man. He cares about the important things in his life and doesn't want to get hurt by what or who he loves and vice versa.

Still, Kirk watches James move around the kitchen to get some coffee brewing and he can't help but entertain the thought of begging James to fuck him right here and now. He doesn't know where these silly, foolish ideas are stemming from. Maybe it's stress or the need for a distraction, but it makes Kirk's stomach knot up all the same. Is he even really attracted to James or does he just want to forget about all the fucked up shit happening in his life right now? He was scared of James just the other day, was he not? What changed his mind all of a sudden?

Kirk dwells on the idea until the coffee is done and he can focus his attention elsewhere. The mug warms up his hand as he cradles it close to his body. He's staring down at the brown liquid as James leans up against the counter parallel to where his sits and idly sips on his cup of coffee. They drink their coffee in silence as Kirk has time to collect his thoughts uninterrupted and work his way up to finally letting the whole situation settle in. Here he is, sat alone in his kitchen with a hitman he knows little about and his lover whisked away to parts unknown. How did it come to this? What was going on?

James can see Kirk's cheeks return to their natural tan tone and the tears have all but vanished now that he's had some time to calm down. There are still dried tear streaks running down Kirk's face, but for the most part Kirk appears to be stoic. Or perhaps just _tired_. He thinks Kirk will stay quiet forever, but then the young man surprises him by speaking up finally.

“I know you're not at liberty to discuss the… _situation_ ," Kirk begins, using air quotes and gesturing around with a free hand. "But I just need to know if Dave's fine like he says he is," Kirk beckons, staring over at James with big soft eyes. "Can you at least tell me that?”

James lets out a sigh. “No…”

“ _No?_ " Kirk echoes. "As in you can't tell me?”

“ _No_ , as in he isn't fine," James reiterates.

“Oh…" Kirk says, looking down at his cup with a forlorn expression. He looks back up at James imploringly. "How much trouble is he in?”

“A bit," James answers honestly, and it hurts to see how Kirk's face falls ever so slightly. "Just know that it isn't his fault and he's trying to make things right.”

Kirk nods in understanding. He sort of already figured Dave was in trouble, but hearing his concerns out loud still manages to make him uneasy. James knows Kirk must be having a hard time processing everything right now, but he still doesn't know what happened to Dave and that was kind of important. James hates having to push the fragile young man even when it ultimately benefits them both.

"You ready to tell me what happened?" James asks after a moment, leaning against the counter with a mug in his other hand.

"Oh yeah, sorry," Kirk apologizes.

"It's okay. Take your time."

"Me and Dave were just getting ready for the day. I came downstairs and there was a knock at the door, so I answer it," Kirk says, fidgeting with his cup. "There were these two guys asking for Dave and they just pushed their way inside."

"You recognize them?"

"Only one. This short guy named Lars that Junior used to date. I saw him around the club a lot back in the day when I worked there," Kirk divulges, taking a drink to calm his nerves.

"What about the other guy?" James inquires.

"I never seen him before. He's this tall, blonde guy. He looked like he was sick," Kirk recalls, grimacing at the memory of the man invading his home and personal space. "I think Dave called him _Gar_?"

"Are you sure?"

"Yeah, why?" Kirk asks, the worry returning as he stares bereftly at James. "Who is he?"

"He used to peddle drugs around some of the more unfavorable neighborhoods. In fact, he tried moving in on Dave's territory a few times in the past," James explains, feeling that there was no harm in telling Kirk. "Obviously he didn't have the power or money to do that, so he's been working for Dave's boss in hopes he can climb up the proverbial _corporate ladder_."

"Dave's boss? You mean the guy he went to see the other day?" Kirk questions, both confused and morbidly curious by this new information.

"His name is Nick Menza and he's one of the reasons why people like Gar can't impede on Dave's club or the area surrounding it," says James. It's the simplest way James can explain it to Kirk, but he feels the need to put it into perspective by way of analogy. "Menza is kinda like life insurance. So long as you keep paying him, you'll retain certain benefits and protection against things out of your control."

"Dave said he was having financial problems. Does that mean he's no longer protected?" Kirk surmises out loud as he slowly starts to piece everything together. "Did Menza send those guys after Dave?"

"You don't have to worry about those guys. Menza would never send men like _that_ ," James assures, knowing that he's said too much now and is just freaking Kirk out even more. "They're small-time crooks who don't have authority over anyone. Especially not Dave."

"They why did they come here? What do they want?" Kirk begs tiredly.

James is about to give up, shrug, and say he doesn't know why; he doesn't have an answer for Kirk. But the things he's learned from Kirk have had time to settle and sink in. Yesterday over lunch, Kirk mentioned Jason was in debt to some drug dealers. Kirk claims to have seen Lars, Gar's associate, around the club frequently when Kirk was working there and also mentioned that a bunch of the dancers, including Kirk himself, had gotten addicted at one point. James didn't have to take huge leaps to come to his final conclusion. In fact, it all seems a little too coincidental.

"They're trying to find Jason," James states, voicing the discovery.

" _Jason?_ " Kirk inquires slowly, as if coming to the same reasoning. "You mean Gar and Lars..?"

"They're the ones who trapped your friend in debt," James clarifies when he realizes Kirk has figured out his meaning.

"Son of a bitch," Kirk mumbles under his breath. He sets his coffee cup down and slides off of the counter, rubbing a hand over his face. He paces for a moment then turns back to James looking like he's come to an epiphany to end all others. "He's gonna be okay though. You're gonna find him and track him down like you said, right?"

It breaks James heart when Kirk's face lights up expectantly and he comes over to place his hands against James' chest. He looks like an excited puppy with a positive outlook on the world and despite how endearing Kirk is in this moment, his heart is aching all the same. James realizes he doesn't have all the answers and solutions Kirk is looking for. In fact, he just has more questions and ambiguity concerning the ordeal.

"That's what I was gonna do today, but then you called me and I had to drop everything I was doing to come help _you_ ," James admits.

"Well then what's stopping you? _Lets go!_ " Kirk pleads, getting fired up as his eyes start to get misty once again. "We can find him together! I can show you all the places we used to hang out and tell you everything you need to know!"

"I can't do that," James sighs.

"Then I'll go myself!" Kirk threatens, voice cracking as he gets emotional.

At this point Kirk is yanking on the front of James' shirt, pleading with the older guy to help him, and James just stands there as he and his shirt endure the frantic clutching of Kirk's hands. He wraps his arms around Kirk and embraces the small, hysterical man. He runs his hands up and down Kirk's back as the brunette wails and sobs uncontrollably. James never did have a way with words, but somehow he always had a knack for calming people down by embracing them. It worked on his deceased wife plenty of times even when she was adamant on being left alone. The irony of it all is that he's paid to kill people for a living.

Kirk has his face buried in James' chest, hiccuping and crying as he drenches the front of the older guy's shirt in fresh tears and James realizes now, as he's holding the distraught man in his arms, why so many people are drawn to Kirk. He's just a pure, innocent soul begging to be loved and protected by someone who can match his passion and intensity. He _needs_ love and acceptance. He needs to know that everything will be alright. And while most people who fall under his spell think that's simple and easy to provide him with, in reality it's anything but.

Kirk exists solely to be loved and that's why so many people fall for him, including James. They see Kirk as a challenge to be conquered as to who can vie for his love and affection the best. That notion becomes more apparent when Kirk eventually raises his head up towards James and gazes at him with his pretty brown eyes glistening with tears. James knows right then and there that he wants to _conquer_ him utterly and completely and he hates himself for it. Not because it's his best friend's partner or that he can easily manipulate Kirk under such emotional distress. No… He hates himself because he knows that Kirk will never be his, as selfish as that sounds. And still, he holds onto Kirk's lithe, trembling body in hopes that he can at least comfort the young man the best he can.

" _Please_. I'm _begging_ you," Kirk cries, searching James' placid expression for any hint of a lifeline.

"I have orders to protect you," James responds automatically, maintaining his stoic disposition.

"We can't just do nothing," Kirk laments, bottom lip quivering as he tries to stifle his sobs. "They're gonna kill him."

"Hey, look at me," James implores, cupping Kirk's soaked face in his big warm hands. "No one's going to die. Not you. Not me. Not Dave. And certainly not Jason."

"How can you be so sure?" Kirk whispers as his voice fails him.

He holds Kirk's perfect, beautiful face in place so he can stare deeply within those soft brown eyes of his. Kirk all but melts under his touch, sinking further into James' embrace as their bodies align to become one. Time seems to slow down for the briefest of seconds and unbeknownst to both of them, either man is entertaining the fact that if one of them decided to move just a few more inches they'd be kissing. Kirk parts his lips as if offering the possibility that something might come of this, and James almost wants to just say _fuck it_ , but he thinks better of it.

Instead, he works at wiping away Kirk's tears once again and offers the kid reassurance through tender words and a soft smile.

"Because I promise."


	12. How Little We Know

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So I was gonna do more with this chapter, but I decided to save the other half for a future update or else this was gonna be a very long chapter.

Dave holds the phone up to his ear, listening as his call rings out a few times. He's worried Kirk won't answer his call; worried that James didn't get to Kirk in time. Dave imagines the front door being wide open and the house being ransacked by goons sent either by Menza or Gar. He doesn't want to envision what they might do to Kirk. He doesn't want to imagine Kirk beat all bloody and blue and, god forbid, violated. The thought makes Dave want to dry heave, but on the fifth ring Kirk picks up and Dave lets out a sigh of relief.

"Dave? Are you okay?" Kirk gushes in a panicked, uneven tone.

"Yeah baby, I'm alright," Dave reassures, closing his eyes and smiling at the sound of Kirk's sweet voice. "How are you? Are you doing alright? Is James there with you?"

"Yes. He's taking good care of me," Kirk tells him.

"Good, good…" Dave breathes out. Knowing that Kirk is fine lets Dave calm down and collect his thoughts long enough to get to the root of why he called. "Listen, I don't think I'm gonna be making it back tonight."

"Why? What's wrong?"

He can hear the uncertainty and worry return in Kirk's voice and Dave hates himself for bringing this all upon the young man in the first place. He keeps asking himself why he didn't just keep his important shit at home and the simple answer is to protect Kirk, as ironic as that is. Leaving something like protection money, receipts, and that little black velvet box at his house would just lure thieves to his and Kirk's home. Still, Dave was sure his safe was secure at the club. Maybe it would've helped to have some security cameras. Perhaps he'll invest in some after all of this, considering he makes it through to the end.

"Gar and I had a talk and it seems he might be going after Jason," Dave replies, looking around the alley to make sure he isn't being watched.

"Yeah, me and James sorta figured that out too. I'm really worried about him Dave," Kirk says with urgency. "You gotta track him down."

"Don't worry, sweetheart. I'm already a step ahead of you. I'm gonna find him and get to the bottom of this," Dave vows.

He still isn't sure what part Jason plays in all of this, but there are a few things Dave has his suspicions about. Jason went _missing_ just before the shit hit the fan. The general consensus amongst the dancers and everyone else who works at Dave's club is that they all just assume Jason went back home to visit family, but there's a problem with that because Jason didn't say or mention anything prior to disappearing. But he told _someone_ because how else did the rumors start? Kirk would've mentioned something to Dave if he knew which means Jason, one of Kirk's _best friends_ , didn't even say anything to him. Dave finds that hard to believe. Kirk and Jason were thick as thieves and practically brothers. So what was _really_ going on? There was something Dave was missing.

"Do you think Jason might be connected to that Nick Menza guy?" Kirk inquires after a moment, making Dave's face go completely lax.

" _Menza?_ Who told you about that?" Dave demands. He didn't want Kirk finding out about that but the cat's out of the bag now.

"James…"

"Goddamn it…" Dave sighs under his breath.

Dave supposes he can't be too upset. He never explicitly told James to keep quiet, but he assumed James would know better than to tell Kirk. Then again, Dave wouldn't put it past James if Kirk was able to flash his puppy eyes and get an explanation out of James. He figures it doesn't matter if Kirk knows or not. He was bound to find out at some point. Dave was just hoping he'd be able to sort this all out quietly before anything bad could happen. Gar and Lars fucked that up though.

"Dave? Is everything okay?" Kirk asks when Dave remains silent. His voice sounds tired like he's fed up with the runaround Dave's been giving him. "And _please_ don't say everything is under control and that I don't have to worry. Not telling me what's going on doesn't protect me. I deserve to know the truth."

Kirk doesn't sound mad or disappointed. Perhaps _concerned_ is the most applicable emotion Dave can ascertain from Kirk's tone. Even after accusing Kirk of having an affair, Dave is the one who keeps lying to Kirk. Not the other way around. How hypocritical of him to assume he's doing the right thing by keeping Kirk in the dark. Dave can continue the lie, feeding Kirk more false security they both know is bullshit, or he can finally tell the truth. It probably isn't going to put Kirk's mind at ease, but he'll be more informed on what's going on.

"Dave…" Kirk calls out to him in a soft tone from the other end of the line.

"No… Everything is _not_ fine," Dave admits, hanging his head down like a child being scolded into fessing up to his actions. "Everything is fucked and I'm trying my best to make things right."

"What's gonna happen if you don't straighten it out?" Kirk beseeches, afraid he even asks. The answer can't be good regardless.

"Well, if I don't come up with the money I owe in three days, some bad things are gonna happen," Dave answers honestly, though he leaves out what that explicitly entails.

"How bad?"

"Pretty bad," Dave says frankly.

"And… you think Jason might have something to do with it?" Kirk asks and his voice is quiet now, like he's trying to process this bombshell of information; to think his lover might be killed because of one of his friends. "Are you saying he stole the money?"

"That's what I'm trying to find out," Dave tells him in a soothing tone.

He doesn't want to jump the gun and throw around false accusations like he did with Kirk. He wants to be thorough and do this the right way. Dave needs to be sure.

"Do you think Jason is capable of doing that?" Kirk inquires.

"I don't know. Do _you_?" Dave ruminates.

"I wanna believe that Jason would never hurt us like that," Kirk divulges, sounding choked up.

"So do I, baby," sighs Dave.

It isn't a straight answer, but Dave can understand Kirk having mixed emotions. Dave doesn't really know what to think either. A part of him wants to say that, no, Jason would never do something like this, especially after everything Dave has done for the kid. Jason confided in Dave about his debt and even offered to help him sort it out. But maybe something changed? Maybe Jason was pressed for time much like how Dave is right now. It could just be a misunderstanding for all Dave knows.

"Thank you for telling me the truth. I just--"

Kirk breaks off into a sobbing fit, unable to bring himself to finishing his sentence. Dave's heart sinks and his shoulders droop down as he's forced to hear his lover cry uncontrollably. This should've been done in person, not over the phone. If that had been the case then Dave could hold Kirk and reassure the brunette that nothing bad was going to happen. Even if Dave didn't fully believe that himself. But he could wipe Kirk's tears away and run his hands up and down Kirk's back to encourage some comfort and security into him. Except he can't do all that, so Dave tries his best to diffuse Kirk's qualms over the phone.

" _Hey, hey, hey…_ " Dave coos into the phone when Kirk shows no signs of calming down anytime soon. "Don't cry, sweetheart."

"I just don't want anything bad to happen to you," Kirk cries, sniffling loudly.

"Baby, listen to me. I know this whole thing is scary for you and I've been acting kinda crazy lately, but I'm gonna fix this," Dave promises. He can hear Kirk attempting to even out his breathing with some difficulty. "Remember what I told you before I left?"

"You told me to be brave," Kirk recalls through hiccuping sobs.

"That's right, sweetie," Dave affirms, hoping he sounded calm enough to bring some sort of semblance of tranquility to Kirk's mind.

"How can I be brave without you here?" Kirk asks in a defeated tone like he's given up.

"You're just gonna have to trust me and have a little faith. After all this is over I'm gonna hold you so tight and never let go," Dave proclaims.

It's only now that he realizes how choked up he's starting to sound as well. Dave never really gets emotional or lets his feelings emerge on a day to day basis, but Kirk brings out that spark of humanity that Dave just can't contain. His eyes fog up slightly, but the tears don't spill over. They can't _both_ be a nervous wreck right now, so Dave holds himself together the best he can as he listens to Kirk finally relax.

"Promise?" Kirk asks, giving one last sniffle.

" _Cross my heart_ ," Dave murmurs. He hates having to cut there conversation short, but Dave didn't just call to check up on Kirk. "Baby, can you put James on the phone for me?"

There isn't a reply but Dave can hear a faint rustling and footfalls as Kirk goes to give James his phone. Dave paces around the middle of the alley, glancing towards the end of it when a pedestrian passes by. He could've just called James directly, but he knows Kirk would prefer to have his privacy. So Dave waits on the line until Kirk hands his phone over and he hears James' voice break through the silence.

"What's up?"

"I had a run in with a couple of assholes," Dave says.

"Gar and Lars?"

"Yep."

"Thought so. Kirk told me what happened when they showed up. He sounded pretty freaked out when he called me," James explains. Dave can hear James actively trying to keep his voice as quiet as possible without Kirk eavesdropping. "Not gonna lie, but I was a little worried too, man. The way that kid was crying made it seem like you were a dead man."

"I ain't dead yet," Dave remarked with a huff. "I intend to keep it that way."

"So, they're after Jason huh?"

"So it would seem."

"Kirk told me a little bit about him. Said that he was in debt and still paying it off," James brings up to help Dave speculate further on the current topic.

"Yeah, he was an addict. Like most of those boys were back in the day."

"So are you going after Jason?"

"It's the only lead I got. Everyone keeps bringing his name up, but no one's talking. It doesn't sit right with me," Dave admits, pacing back and forth.

"I promised Kirk I'd look into it, but I can't do that if I'm here," James mentions with a sigh. "Maybe I can hook you up with one of my boys."

"By all means, send 'em over. Those assholes just stranded me in fucksville," Dave scoffs, shaking his head as he recalled the absolute disrespect of Gar.

"I'll shoot you a text with a contact. I'll be sure to send you the best of the best," James tells him.

"I wouldn't expect anything less," Dave replies with an amused huff. He's about to say his goodbyes, but before he goes he tells James one last thing. "And James?"

"Yeah, Dave?"

"Protect Kirk."

"I will."

"I mean it, James. Protect him like your life depends on it," Dave reiterates to make his point.

The hand holding his phone shakes a little and his breathing stutters for the briefest of moments before James puts him out of his misery with a reply.

"Of course," James vows, more serious this time.

"Thanks, man."

"I'll send you that number right away."

"Oh, hey James?"

"Yeah?"

"Can you put Kirk back on?"

"Sure thing, pal."

There's a shuffling again before the phone is handed back to its owner and greets Dave with a timid _hello?_ that makes Dave want to drop everything and rush back home to his lover.

"Hey, baby," Dave says with a smile. "I just wanted to tell you I love you before I go."

"I love you too, _daddy_ ," Kirk purrs, seeming to be in a more content mood now if his feisty remark is anything to go by.

"Now's not the time to tease me," Dave chides playfully, letting himself chuckle a little when he hears Kirk giggle.

"Get home soon. Get home safe," Kirk tells him, sounding more mature now after having a small window of levity.

"I will, baby. I promise."

"You better," Kirk says.

The call ends after that without having to say goodbye and a few minutes later his phone buzzes. It's the number to some guy named Rob, the contact James had promised him. He dials the number and is surprised when the guy picks up immediately. He introduces himself as Trujillo, which Dave assumes is his surname, and asks Dave what he needs. Dave gives him the address of where he's been dumped at and waits patiently for the guy to show after they hang up. Not even five minutes later and James' partner is pulling up on the side of the road where Dave stands.

The car is a sleek looking black Camaro; possibly a '68 model, though Dave could be a couple years off. It's a massive upgrade from Gar's rickety old Cadillac, but that's probably because this guy actually has class and takes care of his things. The windows are tinted, so Dave can't peek inside as the car pulls up onto the curb with the driver's side facing him. Dave stands there as the window slowly rolls down and Dave finally gets a good look at his temporary partner. He's around Dave's age, or so he's guessing, with strong almost rough-looking features, but he has kind eyes. His hair is long, black, and straight, tied back in a ponytail. He's wearing a basketball jersey and cargo shorts from what Dave can tell. All in all, he seems like such a normal dude, to the point where maybe this isn't the guy after all.

"Trujillo?" Dave inquires.

"Yep," the man affirms. "Mustaine?"

"Uh huh," Dave replies with a nod.

"James tells me you're in deep shit," Rob deduces, giving Dave a once over.

"That's putting it lightly," Dave remarks.

"Have no fear, Dave Mustaine. I'm your guardian angel sent from heaven to save your ass," Rob proclaims, bringing a little humor to their first meeting. "Hop in."

Dave wastes no time in bounding around Rob's car and slipping inside. He pulls his seat belt on as Rob revvs the engine and pulls back onto the main road so they can leave this wretched side of the cesspool behind them. Rob rolls his window back up and reaches over to turn the radio down to a static, incoherent background noise.

"So, what kinda trouble are we looking at? Gimme all the details," Rob beckons, keeping his eyes on the road.

Dave goes onto to tell Rob _everything_. He starts at the beginning, three months ago, when he first suspected the money going missing.

"So you put the money aside in a safe on-site with no security cameras or personnel?" Rob observes, and he sounds absolutely baffled and judgemental towards Dave's business practices already. "Isn't that counterproductive?"

"I don't like my dancers feeling like they're being watched constantly," Dave excuses, though it's a pretty shitty dismissal.

If anything, having security cameras inside the club would make them feel more safe, though to be honest Dave never really felt the need to have them. Nothing like this has ever happened before. No one's tried to rob him and whenever any patrons started to get rowdy or try to get fresh with the dancers, people like Cliff would kick them out immediately.

"Be that as it may, but you might wanna look into setting a security system up or hiring more eyes on the floor to avoid that in the future," Rob suggests. "Or, in the very least, put a camera inside your office."

He doesn't come off as a smug know-it-all, but more so as an outsider offering up some constructive criticism. Dave realizes his faults now and feels quite dumb, especially in front of someone like Rob. He must look like an absolute moron to this guy, but the way Rob speaks to him tells him that this guy holds no judgment over him. Rob seems like a pretty level headed guy and he can tell that they're going to make some progress together. Dave has a good feeling about Rob.

"Yeah, I see the error of my ways now," Dave agrees wholeheartedly.

"But let's take a look at the flipside. Since you don't have cameras in your club, why not just keep the money in a secure place at your home?" Rob goes on the question, covering all bases and absorbing every bit of info and detail he can to better understand the situation.

"It didn't feel safe to keep it there," Dave answers truthfully.

"Why's that?"

"Because of Kirk's safety..."

"He's your partner, huh?" Rob deduces, glancing over at Dave out of the corner of his eye.

Dave nods.

"I can see why you thought that might not be the best place to keep it," Rob empathizes, nodding in agreement. He turns his gaze back towards the road. "Tell me more."

Dave expressed his suspicions concerning coincidences and who might be prime suspects. He told Rob about his history with Gar; back in the days before he started paying Menza for protection.

His past with Gar is a crooked and arduous road. They were actually friends once upon a time despite their age gap. Gar used to be a delivery boy alongside their alcohol vendor Tony and they built up a rapport with one another. Gar was freshly out of high school at the time and still had a blossoming career ahead of him. Dave even took him under his wing and offered him a job at his club, but somewhere along the way they had a falling out.

Gar did take Dave up on his offer and helped out around the club. Dave thought he was a decent employee, but complaints about his work ethics began after a month or so. Whenever he worked as a bartender Gar would get loaded and be rude to patrons and he was unprofessional with the dancers on occasion as well. He'd make lewd remarks at the boys and grab them inappropriately without their consent. It got to the point where the dancers were so uncomfortable that many of them would call out sick if they knew Gar was working the same day.

If Dave was a more selfish man, he'd say he was mad that Gar was hurting his business, but in reality it was the uncalled for sexual harassment towards his boys. Dave may not have started out as an honest man, but he took making sure his workers were safe and comfortable very seriously after some of the shit he's seen. He wasn't going to stand by idly while Gar disrespected them even if they were friends. Gar over stepped a boundary and Dave punished him accordingly by suspending him without pay for a few weeks to show Gar how serious he was.

That's when Gar got into the drug dealing business. He felt spurned by Dave for not being on his side despite the fact that Gar was clearly in the wrong. Unfortunately, Dave didn't find out Gar was dealing drugs on the side until it was too late. He'd gotten a couple of his dancers hooked, long before Kirk or Junior or any of the new kids came around. It was blatantly obvious too since they'd show up to their shifts coked out of their minds. One of them nearly overdosed and had to be rushed to the hospital and when Dave confronted Gar, Gar acted as if he'd done nothing wrong. He'd make excuses like _that's business_ and _if they can't handle their shit then they shouldn't be using_. Dave cut ties with Gar after that and the rest was history.

Gar's been resentful ever since and has tried to sabotage him on many instances. That's when Dave started paying Menza for protection. Obviously, Gar had found a way to get around that and poison sweet kids like Kirk and Jason; through using Lars, no doubt. It was like his last hurrah; the final spit in the eye. So yeah, Dave felt that tracking down Jason was the most ideal thread to pull on at the moment. It was a stretch, but it all had to be connected somehow; otherwise Dave is screwed.

"So, what we got is a missing persons case with a side order of sabotage slash imbezilling, topped off with a heap of unanswered questions. Is that right?" Rob lists off after taking in all of Dave's information.

"That's pretty much it," Dave says with a sigh.

"And Jason disappeared around the same time as your money did, correct?"

"The third time, yeah."

"It all seems very coincidental, like it's too perfect. _Obvious_ , even," Rob stipulates, furrowing his eyebrows.

"Yeah that's what I thought too, but it's all I got at the moment," Dave admits with a shrug.

He's comfortable that he had Rob here to shed some light on the circumstances and be just as equally confused as he is when he comes to the same conclusions. Though, it's a little disheartening that Rob doesn't initially make sense of it all. After all, he is assuming the same things as Dave because it's, like Rob said, _coincidental_. The way the timeline fits is disgustingly perfect which makes Dave think that Jason isn't responsible, but still somehow connected. Then again, what if that's intentional? What's he supposed to believe?

"So you wanna look further into this Jason kid? What can you tell me about him? Family? Friends? Personality?" Rob inquires as they aimlessly loiter in the Los Angeles traffic.

"Well him and Kirk are best friends. Along with Junior."

" _Junior?_ Who's that?"

"He another one of my dancers," Dave explains. "His name is David too, but we just call him Junior."

"Gotcha," Rob acknowledges. "And neither Kirk or Junior have been in contact with him recently?"

"As far as I know, no. They both seem to believe the rumors."

"Okay. What's he like?"

"Jason's a pretty bright kid. Very outgoing, likeable. He's the type that wears his heart on his sleeve, ya know?" Dave recounts as he pictures Jason's smiling face. He doesn't want to think about Jason betraying him or something much worse. "He'd never admit it, but he's quite dependent on the people he's close with. But he's a good kid."

"What about family? Have you tried contacting them to see if the rumors check out?"

"That's the weird thing, though. Jason doesn't really talk about his parents or family often. He says he prefers to keep that part of his life private," Dave brings up, elaborating further on the hearsay amongst the club. "His emergency contacts are literally people he works with."

"Very suspicious. Or _convenient_ , depending on how you look at it," Rob surmises. "How likely do you think it is that Jason would swindle you?"

"I wanna say not very likely, but I can't be certain. It can literally be anyone at this point," says Dave, and it hurts.

At the end of the day, that's Dave's kryptonite. He cares too much about the people he employs and gets too close. Perhaps it's a side effect from dating so many of them in the past, but he feels the same way about Marty and Cliff too. Hell, he even had a soft spot for Gar in the beginning and he can see how maybe that's not a good habit to get into. But it's better than the alternative; it's better than being completely shut off from them emotionally.

" _Hmm…_ Maybe we should swing on by there again and refresh their memory," Rob suggests, giving Dave a sideways glance. "Maybe we can track down the root of the rumor and start from there."

"I like the way you think," Dave compliments.

Having Rob around is putting Dave slightly at ease, but it also makes him rethink his decision to tell yet _another_ person everything going on in such great detail. But if James vouches for Rob, then he's cool in Dave's book. What choice does he have anyway? Time is running out and his options are wearing thin, but he's hopeful having an extra pair of eyes and another brain to help him figure all this shit out before it's too late.

They pull up to a traffic light and come to a complete stop. Rob looks over at Dave and Dave stares back.

"So where to?" Rob asks when they come to the _penultimate_ crossroads.

"Let's go back to the beginning."


	13. I Like This Mess I've Made So Far

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> A gratuitous indulgence in some Kirk/James tension that I know everyone was thirsty for (cus so was I). I've had this chapter in the works for awhile now since I had most of the interactions and dialogue planned out ahead of time. This update turned out way too long because of that, but I hope you guys enjoy it nonetheless!

After getting that call from Dave, Kirk was still a little on edge but he was able to calm down despite the circumstances. He's distressed that Dave is in trouble, but now that Dave was honest with him and he has a vague idea of what's going on Kirk feels he can better handle his emotions. Besides, he doesn't want to cry and snot all over James again. The way he threw himself at the older guy and snivelled pathetically was embarrassing enough already. He doesn't need a repeat of that, for his own sake if not for James.

When he was finally done crying and wallowing in self-pity, James took it upon himself to make Kirk as comfortable as possible. James checked and secured every room, making sure everything was locked and latched up. It was more for Kirk's peace of mind than it was in preparation for an actual threat. James didn't fully believe Menza or otherwise would send guys over to terrorise them. Menza was a professional and if he gave you deadline, he'd honor it. Gar on the other hand, there was no telling if he'd try anything or not. James wants to say Gar isn't that stupid, but James has been wrong in the past.

Either way, he does a sweep of the house regardless to make sure no one will be getting in while Kirk is downstairs watching tv. James, admittedly, lingers in Dave and Kirk's room and sort of… _snoops_ , for lack of a better word. It's a habit he ultimately can't ignore; built up over years of investigating and following his _targets_. It's pretty much a regular bedroom, but James takes his time and looks at all the photos adorning the dressers and walls.

It's mostly photos of Kirk and Dave together, memories they've shared together forever crystalized in snapshots. There's even a few of them that look like they were taken in a photo booth; the kind that come in a strip with four miniature photos stacked on top of one another in a line. The first one in the strip is both men making silly faces with their tongues out, the second is another obligatory silly one, followed by them sharing a genuine smile, and the fourth and final one depicts Kirk leaning over and kissing a bemused Dave on the cheek. Dave looks so undeniably _happy_ that it's almost hard for James to believe that this is the same Dave he's known for ages. It wasn't like Dave was completely devoid of feeling and emotion, it was just never this noticeable before.

James looks at the other ones as well; pictures of them taken on their birthdays, holidays, or just random outings together. There's a picture of a sweet looking little old lady standing proudly next to a small boy with glasses on the nightstand next to the bed and James has to assume it's Kirk and his mother. There's even a picture of Dave sleeping that Kirk, undoubtedly, took. Dave's hair is a mess and his body is contorted into an interesting shape, not to mention the very pronounced puddle of drool on the pillow. James is sure that Dave absolutely hates this photo, but the fact that he allowed it to be framed and put on display speaks volumes of just how in love he is with Kirk.

Funny how one picture can tell you everything you need to know about someone and it's as asinine as a picture of Dave sleeping of all things. James wishes everyone was as easy to read as Dave, but maybe Dave's predictable because they've been friends for so long. Kirk on the other hand was a puzzle yet to be fully solved and James has to admit he likes the challenge so far.

Once he's done obsessing over Dave and Kirk's room, James takes one last peek in all the rooms upstairs before heading back down. James descends the stairs and spies Kirk lounging on the couch with his feet pulled up onto the cushions. He was on his phone, texting probably, while the tv played some crime procedural in the background. It's as if Kirk hasn't a care in the world; he doesn't even look like he was crying his heart out fifteen minutes ago. Kirk just looks like he's waiting for James to come down and curl up on the sofa with him. And if James tries hard enough he can even convince himself that, yes, it is just a normal day of them staying in and cuddling each other. But this isn't James' home and Kirk isn't his.

James was here to do two things and two things only: make Kirk feel comfortable and keep him safe.

"Well, I've battened down the hatches and barred the doors," James announces when he finally reaches the bottom of the stairs. "I even checked under the bed for monsters."

"My hero," replies Kirk, holding a hand to his heart like a fair maiden.

"What are you doing?" James asks as he steps further into the living room.

"Just trying to take my mind off things," Kirk says with a small smile as he holds up his phone. "Cliff's being a really good distraction right now and Junior, well… he's being Junior."

He walks over to where Kirk is sitting on the couch and takes a seat next to the young man who continues to type away at the mini touch screen keyboard. James observes him for a moment, noticing the way Kirk grins as his phone dings with notifications. There's something wholesome about seeing Kirk smile, especially after pouring his guts out with uncontrollable emotions.

"Is that a good or bad thing?" James inquires in response to Kirk.

"It's good for the most part, though he can be quite dramatic sometimes. But he's my best friend, so it doesn't bother me," Kirk returns, smiling over at James.

Kirk glances at the older man, pauses momentarily, and looks away when he realizes just how close James is sitting next to him on the sofa. He also takes into account the fact that James has an arm draped over the back of the couch that nearly wraps around his shoulders. The realization causes Kirk to feel equal amounts of excited and nervous; excited by James' presence and how he makes the sofa dip slightly under his weight but nervous because now he's thinking about all the things Junior told him. Kirk stands his ground despite the rumors Junior told him and looks James in the eye.

"Have you killed people before?" Kirk asks him through his stream of consciousness.

James appears to be taken aback by this question initially, which makes sense since it came out of nowhere, but James humors him all the same.

"What makes you ask that?"

Kirk offers him a shy shrug that gives him the façade of appearing guilty and Kirk immediately regrets bringing it up. He's aware that he must be over stepping a boundary and that it isn't any of his business, but curiosity gets the better of him.

"Just things I heard…"

"Like what?" James presses.

James shifts his body and turns to face Kirk more properly, strategically pivoting himself even closer to Kirk and inserting himself into the brunette's space. The way Kirk's eyes flash with adrenaline for a split second doesn't go unnoticed by James, in fact he catches Kirk's adam's apple bob as he swallows nervously. He looks so small and meek in comparison and James lives for it.

"I heard one of the dancers at Dave's club tried to punch you one time," Kirk brings up.

"Yeah. That happened," James confirms with a nod of his head. When Kirk just continues to give him an expectant look, he follows up with, "I didn't kill him if that's what you're implying."

"I'm sorry. I'm stupid for even asking," Kirk gushes, kicking himself for even humoring Junior's rumor in the first place. "I didn't mean to offend you."

"No worries," James assures with a soft chuckle. "I can understand you being frightened and cautious around a complete stranger. Especially since you have to trust me with your life."

"I'm not scared of you," Kirk states, letting out a giddy huff.

"Not even a little?" James teases.

James is really leaning into Kirk's personal space now to the point where Kirk instinctively has to lean back slightly so he can look James directly in the eye. Kirk's first reaction is to blush and dismiss the conversation entirely, but James' soft blue eyes reel him in, as if tempting Kirk to _indulge_ himself in a little harmless flirting.

"Not unless you _give_ me a reason to be scared," was his coy response. He unwittingly batted his lashes at James, realized what he was doing, and instead went back to the topic. "So, what happened to that kid if you don't mind me asking?"

"I knew the boy's mother and I found out he was working at Dave's club. I knew how much it would break his mother's heart, so I told him to go home and do something more productive with his life," James recounted, remembering how awkward and out of place the kid looked at such an establishment. "He was angry at first, hence why he tried to hit me, but he came around. He's in college now majoring in graphic design."

"Sounds like he really dodged a bullet," Kirk commented.

The remark brings James back to the other topic of their discussion.

"Knowing that I've killed people, does that make you trust me less?" James poses, genuinely curious to know Kirk's opinion on the matter.

"No," Kirk answers honestly, though there is a hint of uncertainty. "If anything, that makes me more safe, doesn't it?"

James shrugs. "That's one way of looking at it, I suppose."

"Do you have a gun?" Kirk goes onto ask.

His brown eyes are wide like saucers, full of wonder and curiosity and perhaps a smidgen of excitement. Kirk's curled up further onto the couch and completely facing James to the point where he's practically burrowing himself against the older man. It isn't quite _cuddling_ , but it definitely pushes the boundary. It foxes James, but Kirk is so close to him and staring at him with imploring eyes that he doesn't bother to question it.

"Yeah," comes the belated reply.

"On you?" Kirk asks in quick succession.

James shifts and reaches towards the inside of his jacket. Kirk is watching him intently as James pulls a gun from the holster he's wearing. Kirk hadn't even noticed it since it was concealed by James' jacket. He isn't too familiar with guns, but Kirk assumes it gets the job done. It's pretty basic looking, the likes of which you see in movies; solid black, automatic (maybe?), and heavy looking. James hands it over to Kirk and Kirk accepts it while his eyes flick between the gun and James' face skeptically.

" _Careful_. Safety's on, but it's still dangerous," James reminds him as Kirk cradles it in his delicate hands.

"Have you killed people with this gun?" Kirk inquires as he turns it around and studies each little nuance. James nods his head. "How many?"

"I try not to keep tabs on that sorta thing," James says, which is the truth.

Some people kept a tally of all their kills, but James never really cared much for that. He felt it made people look more like hunting trophies than actual humans; which is rich coming from someone like James. It might seem hypocritical but it doesn't mean he still can't have a moral standard. James forgets about the politics of it all when Kirk fixes him with an inquisitive expression.

"Would you kill someone for _me_?" he asks, and it almost sounds like a test of integrity.

Kirk tests the weight of the gun in his hand and is surprised to see that it's a lot heavier than he was expecting. He runs his finger tips over the barrel, being mindful to keep his fingers away from the trigger. He knows the safety is on, but he makes a conscience effort to remain as safe as possible. He thought it'd be more exciting to hold a gun, but it just feels like a weight in his hand; a burden.

"If they were threatening to hurt you, yes. I would not hesitate," James admits. _That's what I promised Dave_ , he wants to add, but refrains from doing so. "Why? Do you want me to get rid of someone for you?"

"No. I've never been so hateful as to wish someone dead," Kirk says quickly. He hands the gun back over to James, feeling grateful when James takes it away from him and holsters it. "I'm just curious. Like, are there limitations? Personal preferences? How much do you get per job?"

"Depends. Different jobs have different prices. Any gender, any race. I don't discriminate. But I draw the line at children," James clarifies, establishing his own morality. "I don't kill anyone under eighteen."

"How kind of you," Kirk remarks ironically.

"Yeah, I'm a nice guy like that," says James in a self defeating tone. "Not everyone shares the same courtesy."

"What do you mean?"

"There's people out there who'll kill anyone. And I mean _anyone_ ," James reiterates with importance. "So long as the price is right."

Kirk looks mystified by this, but he doesn't look very surprised. Sad probably comes to mind the most. But yeah, there are people in his line of work that will murder children without a second thought. They usually charge by age if that's the case. The younger they are the higher the cost goes up; it's like inflation for the underworld. James never understood how anyone can kill a child. He doesn't care what the price is. You could give James all the money in the world _and_ Kirk on top of that and he'd still refuse.

Kirk glances off to the side as if he's considering his next words carefully before returning his attention back to James. He scoots a little closer to James and establishes eye contact with the older man. James stares back and he can see the inner turmoil eating the kid up inside. Just when James thinks Kirk is going to shy away from him and keep his thoughts to himself, Kirk surprises him by asking another question.

"Has Dave killed anyone?" Kirk beseeches; voice timid yet determined.

"I don't think that's an appropriate topic," James dismisses.

Kirk's face seems to drop and he furrowed his eyebrows.

"Why not? We're talking about _you_ killing people," Kirk says, beginning to sound a bit defensive.

"Because you shouldn't think about Dave doing that kinda stuff."

And it's true. Kirk shouldn't know all the gory details of Dave's past. That's not who Dave was anymore, yet he was Kirk demanding to know. What if the truth makes Kirk change his mind about Dave? What if James unknowingly splits them up because he couldn't keep his mouth shut?

"I'm not some delicate flower that needs protecting. Current situation aside," Kirk states with a bemused roll of his eyes. "He's my partner. I deserve to know."

Then Kirk does something decidedly cruel and strategically places a hand on James' leg in all his passion to seek the truth. If James was a stronger man, he'd move away from Kirk and tell him _no_ , but James is a weak man. _Dave is his lover. He has a point_ , James tries to justify internally and he's aware that he could have tried just a little bit harder to resist the young man. But Kirk's hand accidentally shifts further up James' thigh, making James' heart nearly burst as it pumps blood to inappropriate places. It's a losing battle.

"When he first started out, yeah. He was just like me," James divulges, then adds, "But he hasn't killed anyone in a _long_ time."

Kirk appears to be slightly disheartened by the news, but he figures he already knew the truth. Kirk might be naive to most things, but he knows how cutthroat businesses can be. It was the same thing from when Kirk was a stripper at Dave's club. All the dancers were always competing to see who could bring in the most customers or get the biggest tips, which is shocking since Kirk was able to find two good friends despite that. Kirk wouldn't have even noticed the stripper hierarchy if weren't for other dancers being envious of him. The sad thing was is that Kirk wasn't even trying the hard. He just did what he was comfortable with and the patrons followed after. Kirk assumes it's not much different from Dave's journey.

"Why did he do it?" Kirk asks, still unaware that he was touching James' leg.

"Sometimes you just gotta get your hands dirty to make a name for yourself," James explains. There's more politics behind it, but that was basically the gist of it. "Once Dave started his business, he went straight. Sure, he's roughed up a few people here and there and put them in the hospital, but he doesn't kill. Not anymore."

"Then how come you still do it?"

James pauses for a moment to actually sit there and think of a reason _why_ , but can't find one for the life of him. Why does he still do this? Sure, he doesn't kill as often as he used to; in fact he does a lot more investigations and strong arm stuff when people need to be threatened, but protecting Kirk is like a vacation to James. It, honestly, feels _nice_. But then he comes back to the reality that he doesn't have a solid answer for the brunette and just shrugs.

"It's all I'm good at," James supplies.

"I'm sure that's not true," Kirk encourages, shifting closer to James. "There's a million things you could be doing instead."

"Oh yeah? I'd settle for just _one_."

Kirk's expression looks bereft, like he's given up as he tries to wrack his brain for an example, but then his face lights up and he smiles.

"Why not work for Dave?" Kirk offers.

"And do what exactly? Do what Marty does?" James humors. "I don't like sitting on my ass all day."

"Cliff said he was leaving soon. Maybe you could take his spot."

"Watch after the dancers?" James inquires in a tone that sounds as if he's considering it.

"Yeah, you'd be like a bouncer or a bodyguard. If anyone tries messing with you, you can beat the crap out of 'em," Kirk says, teeming with enthusiasm James wished he could muster. "And as an added bonus, you'd get to watch sexy boys dancing all night."

 _Yeah, but none of them are you,_ James thinks ruefully. Sure, there's few cute dancers at the club other than Kirk and Junior, but what's the point? Then again, putting aside the selfish reasons, the dancers would be a lot more safe with James around and Dave would have peace of mind with a trusted ally working for him. James wants to express his interest, but he doesn't want to get Kirk's hopes up either.

"You make it sound so tempting," is the snarky reply James goes for.

"I'd do it myself, but I'm not very intimidating," Kirk complains with a sigh. He rakes his eyes up and down James briefly and grins. "I'm not an absolute _unit_ like you."

"What does that even mean?" James questions, looking amused and slightly bewildered.

"It means you're massive," Kirk clarifies.

"Oh gee, thanks…" James mumbles.

"It's a compliment!" Kirk exclaims, making his hand inch up James' leg some more. "I like big, strong men. They're fun!"

James is hyper aware of everything in this moment. Kirk's hand is curled around his leg mid-thigh, James practically has his arm around Kirk, and they're both so close to each other. This wouldn't be such an issue, but the fact that it continues to carry on without consequence makes James feel on edge. He's sure Kirk is oblivious, but James notices everything. He can literally lean forward and kiss Kirk right this second if he really wants to, and by God does he want to, and that makes him flustered.

"Weren't we just talking about me killing people? How did we get to this subject?" James presses, chuckling briefly as he attempts to breathe in a little levity to the conversation.

"You're not embarrassed are you?" Kirk poses.

He seems so sure of himself, but he's still refused to acknowledge the placement of his hand. Surely Kirk would be embarrassed and blushing by now if he realized what he was doing to James, right? Kirk was timid and soft spoken, not flirty and overt. Kirk can't be aware of what he's doing to James, right? Kirk was just crying and freaking out. There's no way… For once, the shoe was on the other foot and James was not prepared for it at all.

"Why would I be?" James asks defensively.

Kirk shrugs. "I don't know."

"You are--"

" _What?_ " Kirk interrupts.

"You're just…" James looks at Kirk, trying to figure him out, and sighs when he can't quite make up his mind. "...something else."

" _Something else?_ " Kirk echoes, mildly amused. "What does that mean?"

"I don't know. I guess I thought you were a certain way, but now I can see I was completely wrong about you."

"You shouldn't judge a book by it's cover," Kirk tsks. "It leads to mixed signals."

 _Kinda like what **you're** doing right now_, James' brain supplies.

"I hate to break it to you, but despite how smart I may appear I'm in a perpetual state of confusion. I'm a master at mixed signals," James tells him sardonically.

"That must make dating difficult, but I can understand why," Kirk mentions, taking on a more serious tone now. "How long has it been since you _dipped your toes in the water_?"

"It'll be five years in October," James admits.

"I can't imagine how lonely you must feel," comes the obligatory _I feel sorry for you_ response.

James doesn't like to think about it that much. He hates dwelling on the fact that with each passing year without his wife, he's moving one foot closer and closer to dying alone. Maybe he's latching onto Kirk because the kid reminds him of his wife, or perhaps it's just a desperate attempt to disguise the harsh reality of where his life's heading. Either way, he can't deny how he feels around Kirk. He knows it's wrong and forbidden to be messing around with his friend's partner, but Kirk isn't making it easy. The truly cruel part of it all is that Kirk doesn't even know it. Not yet, at least.

"You get used to it after a while. Working helps you to forget," James dismisses, and he sounds so stoic and resigned.

Kirk gives him this look, something akin to pity, and James loathes it entirely. He doesn't need this kid feeling sorry for him when everything in James' life is going well for the most part. Kirk and Dave could potentially be dead within the next few days and here Kirk is _feeling sorry_ for James. How funny is that? James wants to admonish Kirk and tell him that he doesn't deserve Kirk's concern, but Kirk flashes him another hopeful smile and all is right in the universe once again.

"Why not just put yourself out there? I'm sure there's tons of people who'd love to date you," Kirk says, ever the optimist.

"It's not easy for me anymore," says James, envious of Kirk's outlook on life. "Not like it is for you."

And that's a completely valid opinion. It is harder for James to settle down and date again because he was so ready to spend the rest of his life with his wife, but then she got sick and passed away and James was left all alone. He doesn't know how to date anymore. How is he supposed to explain to his potential partner what he does for a living? Dating just wasn't a thing for James anymore. He's accepted his fate.

"Why? Because you're old?" Kirk mentions, reminding James of his mortality.

"Kinda… It's just a whole bunch of different reasons, honestly," says James.

"Maybe I can help you!" Kirk proses, practically jumping up and down on the sofa. "I can be like Tinder in human form."

"What the hell is _Tinder_?"

"Wow, you really are old…" Kirk comments.

"Hey, I wear my years well, alright?" James defends.

The hand that is resting on James' thigh is finally lifted and James feels like a bomb has just been diffused. Instead, in regard to James' statement, Kirk raises his hand and places it on the older man's bicep; the arm extending across the back of the sofa. He squeezes the muscle and gives James this sly little look that is both teasing and genuine.

"No argument there," Kirk compliments, letting his hands drop back into his lap to break all contact with James.

Now that Kirk isn't touching him, James can think a bit more clearly and he's decided that maybe Kirk was aware of what he was doing to James all along. There's no good way of telling other than to ask, but that would be awkward if James just went and started assuming things. It could all just be James' imagination, after all. He stares at Kirk who is sitting on his knees on the couch now, looking like he's ready to pounce on James and while James would no doubt enjoy that, he has to get his head out of the clouds and face reality.

"I don't know if I'm ready for dating again," James admits.

"I know you said before that you don't really have a type, but you gotta have preferences right? Like blondes, brunettes. Tall, short. Woman, man..." Kirk lists off, giving James a shy glance from under his bangs at the mention of James potentially being interested in men.

He has a weird fascination with getting to know James on a personal level because he's just naturally curious. This was more so a way of determining what James was into. You can call Kirk nosy, but Kirk was stuck with James for the next couple days and he'd like to know the guy just a little bit. There's no harm in that, right?

"Well, if I look back far enough and think of all the people I've dated…" James trails off, thinking of his high school days and before he met his wife. "I guess most of them were brunettes."

"Okay. What else?"

"Like you said I'm an _absolute unit_ , so I suppose I prefer a partner smaller than me."

This gets Kirk to giggle a little when he notices the way James pokes fun at himself by appropriating the term Kirk used to describe him. The way Kirk's smile spreads across his face so genuinely makes James' heart melt and he prides himself on being able to distract Kirk from all the messed up shit going on currently. James would do anything to make sure Kirk never cried again. At least not from pain or sorrow.

"What about personality?"

"I don't know," James says indecisively. He looks at Kirk and thinks of all the things that come to mind. "I'd like someone who is kind, funny, adorable, and passionate."

"Gender?" Kirk asks suddenly.

They both stare at each other for a beat and James can tell Kirk is dying to know which way he swings. Yeah, most of James' partners have been women, but he can appreciate and fall in love with beauty no matter the gender. Kirk is proof of that.

"I don't really care. What happens, happens," James tells him and a small smile tugs at Kirk's lips.

"Well, with all of that information there can only be one person suitable for you," Kirk proclaims in a coy manner.

"Oh? Who might that be?" James inquires.

Kirk is hovering in James' space again, but James is much more relaxed now that he doesn't have to worry about Kirk's hand placement. He's lounging back against the couch, the tv filling in the silent gaps as they talk, while Kirk is on his knees next to him like he's ready for anything. The suspense is killing him; curious to find out who Kirk has matched him up with from just that little bit of information. James had only one person in mind and he wonders if Kirk picked up on that in any way. Judging by the way Kirk is looking at him seems to confirm his suspicions but then--

"Marty," Kirk deadpans, much to James' chagrin.

James lets out a defeated sigh, finding himself at the butt of an elaborate joke. He closes his eyes and shakes his head; he can't help but laugh at the cruel irony of it all.

" _Ha ha_ , very funny," James says in a resigned tone.

"What? He's short, brunette, and has all those traits!" Kirk justifies when he finds himself at odds with James' reaction. "Am I wrong?"

The sad thing is, is that Kirk isn't wrong. James realizes now that he could've been talking about literally anyone and Kirk would be none the wiser. Maybe Kirk was oblivious after all.

"I'm not trying to say Marty isn't attractive or anything, but... I'm pretty sure I'm not his type," James backpedals as a means to clarify his lackluster response.

"How do you know if you don't try?" Kirk argues, teasing James by nudging the older man's leg.

"Oh, come on it's obvious isn't it?" James chuckles, but it comes off as self depreciating. "Everyone knows he only has eyes for one person."

Kirk collapses back against the sofa with a heavy sigh as if he's had this conversation a thousand times already. The distance between him and James grows as Kirk retreats back into his own personal space. James isn't sure if Kirk's offended or not, but he can tell Kirk seems to be a little touchy about the subject.

"He's in love with me. I can't help it," Kirk proclaims, throwing his hands up only to let them plop back down onto his lap with a light _smack!_ noise. "Cliff was too, but he's moved on since then. I never asked for them to love me the way they do. I can't control the way they feel about me. The only thing I _can_ do is be faithful to Dave. Even when the going gets tough."

"Do you think about cheating on Dave?" James questions when the unspoken meaning behind Kirk's words remains unsaid.

James is right on the money too because Kirk lowers his head slightly like a guilty puppy about to be scolded. He might be overstepping a boundary right now, just to insinuate Kirk has the potential to cheat, but it was an honest question. Kirk doesn't have to indulge James in any way, he can tell James to _fuck off_ and he'll gladly say _fair enough_.

"I'm sorry, you don't have to answer that," James apologizes shortly after, realizing how loaded that question really is.

"No, it's fine. I pried into your life, so it only seems fair," Kirk sighs.

He can't quite meet James' gaze this time and resorts to just staring at his hands in his lap.

"But yeah, I think about it sometimes…" Kirk admits shamefully in a low voice. "A guy like Marty or _whoever_ will come along every once in awhile and make me wonder... But then I realize it's just lust and nothing more. I don't truly love them the same way I love Dave," Kirk is quick to clarify. He already feels shitty for just acknowledging it. "I've had _crushes_ here and there, but they don't mean anything and I never act on it. Does that make me a bad person? To just think about it?"

Kirk finally raises his head over towards James and he has this pouty, droopy eyed expression. James is aware that this is a very serious topic, but he can't help but think about what Kirk would look like if he were on his knees right now with that same expression. His cheeks are hot and his pants feel way too tight. James is ashamed of himself for turning this situation into a selfish pursuit that can never be realized. He tries to shake away all the indecent thoughts that stem from Kirk's uncertainty and focuses on comforting Kirk.

"No. There's nothing wrong with that," James reassures. He moves from his relaxed position and leans forward towards Kirk slightly. "At least you're honest about it."

"Yeah, for what it's worth…" Kirk mumbles.

"How long has the Marty thing been going on?" James asks.

"Since I started working at Dave's club when I was eighteen. _Way_ before me and Dave ever got together."

"And how long have you been with Dave?"

"About a year and a half now."

"Marty had plenty of time to make a move then, huh?"

" _Oh yeah_ ," Kirk confirms, looking rather frazzled.

"Anything ever… _happen_ between you two?" James inquires slowly.

"I mean, _kinda_. It's weird to talk about it out loud," Kirk says with a nervous laugh. He almost seems to blush at the mere mention of it. "We were together but we weren't dating."

" _Oh..._ Gotcha."

"We only _did it_ a few times before I decided to cut it off."

"Why did you stop?"

"I wasn't _in love_ with him. Not like that, at least," Kirk explains. "It's weird being with someone who feels like family to you. It'd be like if I dated Junior. He's like a brother to me, ya know?"

"Sounds like you've been down a long confusing road."

"I was young and naive. Still am. Sometimes I'm not even sure if Dave's the right one," Kirk confides in James. He isn't sure why he's being so forthcoming, but having James around to absolve all his baggage helps. "I mean, it _feels_ like it, but what if I'm wrong? Like I was wrong about Marty?"

"You won't know unless you try," James recites, quoting Kirk from moments ago.

"I'm sorry for being such a downer," Kirk excuses, offering up the most genuine smile he can as atonement. "This got serious way too fast."

"That's what I'm here for," James says with a grin.

He reaches out and places a big hand on Kirk's leg, mirroring the same gesture the brunette had used on him. It was an action that ultimately confirmed that Kirk is naive about what he was doing to James because he immediately blushes the moment James' hand curls around the top of his knee. It's hard to tell just how flushed Kirk is because of his tan, even complexion, but James can see it in the way the young man shies away from the attention ever so subtly.

"You're here to protect me. Not listen to my problems," Kirk discourages with a bashful shake of his head.

"I'm multitasking," James tells him ardently. "It's one of my many talents."

They both share a hearty little chuckle. Kirk seems to have forgotten all the shit he's been through the past two days, if only for this moment. And you know what? James will gladly take that. If he can brighten Kirk's day and make him feel accepted and supported for an entire afternoon, then that's a win in James' book. It's worth it to see the kid smiling and being so open and comfortable.

"I've never spoke about these things to anyone before," Kirk admits, sighing as if a huge weight has been lifted off of his chest and he's finally able to breath.

"Your secret's safe with me," James encourages, patting Kirk tenderly on the leg.

"I wish I could be honest with Dave, but I feel like he'd just get upset or jealous," Kirk divulges. He lays a delicate palm on top of the hand James has resting on his knee and gazes up at the other man with soft, hooded eyes. "I'm glad I have you to talk to, James."

They spend the rest of the day hanging out on the couch watching tv. Kirk continues to text his friends every once in awhile as they watch cheesy horror movies together. Him and James have some amusing conversations concerning the poor choices made by the one dimensional characters on screen and James rejoices in the way Kirk seems to eventually unwind given the correct stimulus. They both skip dinner since Kirk had lost his appetite after the whole Gar incident, but that's just as well. James isn't particularly hungry either. Instead, James makes them popcorn as Kirk slowly builds a nest of blankets on the sofa to cocoon himself in and life goes on.

Eventually Kirk ends up snuggling up against James completely and instead of pushing Kirk away like James should do, he accepts the young man with open arms. James embraces the smaller boy in a tender bear hug as Kirk clings to him with his arms wrapped around James' abdomen. If James closes his eyes he can pretend that it's just another carefree day together; he can put himself in Dave's shoes and imagine himself in all those photos with Kirk. James has half a mind to make a move and risk all the trust he's built up just to see if Kirk will go for it...

But by the time James opens his eyes, Kirk is already fast asleep.


	14. Rumor Has It

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This chapter was a bitch and a half to finish, probably cus it's the longest chapter so far. 90% of it is just people talking and/or asking questions, but I really enjoyed writing it cus Rob has a pretty huge role in it (and I've been dying to write some more Rob). So I hope you guys enjoy it too!

Dave and Rob pull up to the club sometime later. Dave steps out of the car and looked at the building as Rob kills the engine and climbs out to join him on the curb. He doesn't know where to start; maybe he'll let Rob take the lead in this investigation. After all, that's what he's here for; to help. Dave hates to say it, but Rob might be able to intimidate someone into talking if they play their cards right. Dave doesn't doubt that some of the dancers might be keeping secrets. He knows James only spoke to a few people briefly initially, but Dave hadn't really given him ample time to investigate more.

Luckily Rob was here now and hopefully he'd be able to dig something useful up. All James managed in what little time he was given was the Kirk and Marty rumor he heard from Cliff, but that was a dead end. Dave knows the truth behind that now and he trusts that Kirk was being honest with him when he told him everything. Dave believes that Marty or Kirk could never hurt him like this. If he can't trust them, then he's screwed.

But the real question is who _can't_ he trust? Who is capable of doing this? Jason? Gar? And who's to say it was just one person? It can be multiple people. What if it's an elaborate operation set in motion by Menza to sabotage him for some reason?

"You okay man?" Rob asks when he sees Dave brooding silently.

"Yeah, I'm good," Dave says as he shakes off the paranoia building up inside him once again. "Let's get to the bottom of this already."

They head inside and, like the day before, the place isn't too packed since it's the afternoon. Now was the best time to come in and talk to the dancers since come night time the place will be packed. Rob takes a look around to scope the place out. He takes note of the patrons, all the dancers out on the floor, the bartender, as well as the tall lanky man leaned up against one of the walls by the main stage. He nods over towards the young man curiously.

"Who's that?" Rob inquires.

"That's Cliff. He's our eyes on the floor," explains Dave.

"You speak to him yet?" Rob asks, glancing over at Dave.

"James did, but only briefly."

"Then let's start from there."

Dave follows Rob's lead as they approach Cliff. He has his arms crossed over his chest and scans the area to make sure everything is as it should be. In his trek the young man spots Dave and Rob from halfway across the room, smiles, then waves over at Dave. When they get closer, Cliff pushes himself off of the wall and unfolds his arms. He takes a few steps forward when Dave nearly reaches him and greets him.

"Hey Dave, what's up?" Cliff says, looking between his boss and the man standing beside him.

"You know, same old," Dave replies with a put on smile.

"Who's your friend?" Cliff asks as he nods over at Rob.

"This is Rob. He's an associate of James'," Dave tells him.

"Am I in some sort of trouble I'm not aware about?" Cliff chuckles nervously when he realizes what line of work Rob is in.

"We just wanna ask you a few questions," Dave assures.

"Okay. Shoot."

Cliff crosses his arms over his chest, plants his feet in the ground, and pivots his body towards Rob.

"You notice anything suspicious within the last week or so?" Rob questions as he casually observes the way Cliff holds himself.

"Nothing too out of the ordinary," says Cliff, shrugging and looking off to the side briefly.

Rob takes note of the way Cliff kind of looks away as he says this. It's nothing too incriminating by any means, but Cliff's eyes seem to shift a little as he speaks; never quite remaining solely on Rob as he's addressed. His gaze flicks over at Dave a few times as if he's trying to seek a way out of the conversation, but other than his eyes, Cliff seems pretty calm and laidback for the most part.

"Are you sure?" Rob presses, raising an eyebrow.

"Yeah, aside from the usual drunk idiots I have to kick out, everything's been relatively normal," Cliff affirms, eyes drifting back over towards Rob's face.

"So there's been nothing alarming? At all?"

With a busy place like this, it's hard for Rob to believe that nothing noteworthy happened within a week. Then again, Rob supposes this place is in a nice neighborhood with a clientele that doesn't warrant any troublemakers for the most part. Still, there were always a few bad eggs here and there. Anything was possible.

"Well, I mean, there's the whole Jason thing, but you already know about that," Cliff offers, holding a hand out as he gestures at Dave.

"When was the last time you saw Jason?" Rob asks.

Dave peeks over at Rob occasionally, gauging the cool and collected expression that never seems to leave his face. He's calculating and elegant in his approach to grilling people for answers. Rob's respectful and calm, but there's firmness to his tone that suggests you don't want to try and press your luck with him. Dave didn't know what he was expecting. Good cop, bad cop routine maybe? Rob seems to be doing fine on his own, but Dave wonders how truthful everyone will be with a stranger like Rob.

"I don't know," Cliff sighs, exhaling as he tries to scour his memory for an answer. "Probably last Friday."

"What can you tell me about him?"

Rob crosses his arms and mirrors what Cliff's doing, making himself appear more relaxed, and Dave has to assume it's a tactic to ensure that the person being questioned is at ease. Dave notices how Cliff's face starts to soften slightly. Cliff angles his head in a way that has his gaze looking down at the floor just past Rob and Dave's feet; suggesting he's in deep thought. He exhales again and fixes Rob with a worried expression, frowning a little.

"He was acting kinda funny when I saw him last," Cliff admits and he sounds as if he's contemplating whether he should be expressing his doubts or not.

"How so?"

Cliff shrugs. "He didn't seem like himself. He kinda looked like he might have been _using_ again, but I don't think he was."

" _Interesting_. What makes you say that?" Rob goes onto inquire, eyebrows furrowing.

"I don't know. He just had this look in his eye like he _knew_ something," Cliff replies cryptically. He squints his eyes and looks down towards the floor again, searching for the right words before looking back up at Rob. "He looked _paranoid_. Like he was afraid."

"Any reason he'd need to be afraid?"

"His debt, obviously," Cliff says with a solemn frown. "But this seemed different though."

"Have you seen Gar around at all?" Dave interjects, prompting Rob to shoot him a sideways glance.

"Sorry, can't say that I have," Cliff apologizes, noticing the bitterness in Dave's eyes. "I've seen Lars though. He comes in from time to time."

"What does he do?" Rob asks, getting Cliff to glance back over to him.

"Talks to Junior mostly. They broke up awhile back and Lars can't let it go. Actually, he was here about ten minutes ago," Cliff mentions, hooking his thumb in a vague direction.

"Where's Junior now?"

"I saw him head to the locker room, but I don't know if he's still back there or not. Didn't see him leave," Cliff divulges.

His eyes are scanning again as he breaks off eye contact with Rob and Dave. Rob can tell that Cliff is trying to be subtle about it, but he picks up on the ticks even if Dave can't see them. Rob doesn't fully believe that Cliff has anything to hide in particular, but he doesn't trust the way his eyes can't seem to focus on one thing for a long period of time. On a whim, Rob takes a step forward and addresses the issue head on.

"You seem preoccupied," Rob points out casually, stepping into view so he can get Cliff to look him in the eyes. "Something wrong?"

"No, just trying to keep an eye on the dancers. Make sure they're safe," Cliff explains. He doesn't even realize what Rob is doing right now, suggesting that he's answering honestly. "My eyes tend to wander. Force of habit."

Dave gives Rob a look and Rob backs down after he's deduced whether or not he accepts Cliff's excuse. Rob figures it makes sense, but he'd rather be safe than sorry. He doesn't want to overstep some dumb telltale information that could have been useful. Rob relaxes, stands down, and goes back to his regular line of questioning.

"One last question," Rob poses. Cliff nods at him expectantly. "Did Jason say anything to you before he left?"

"He said _seeya later_. That's about it," Cliff recounts wistfully. His faces drops a bit and he looks concerned again. "He didn't sound like he was _leaving_ , ya know?"

"Thank you. You've been a great help," Rob praises, flashing a smile before he begins to walk away.

Dave follows suit, trailing behind Rob as they head towards the locker room

"No problem," Cliff says belatedly as the two men depart. He watches them leave for a moment before calling out to Dave. "Hey Dave, is Jason alright?"

Dave turns around to see a look of concern on Cliff's face. He doesn't know what to tell Cliff because Dave isn't so sure himself. He could be on the run right now; he could be sitting pretty in Hawaii with Dave's money for all he knows. Jason could also be dead in a dumpster somewhere. Dave doesn't like any of those probabilities and it's not like he can express his worries to Cliff. He doesn't want to trouble Cliff further. He finally settles on a neutral response, hoping that it's convincing enough to quell some of Cliff's concern.

"I'm sure he's fine," Dave offers with a small smile, but he doesn't believe that.

Cliff nods and lets the two men go about their business. Dave catches up with Rob and they make their way towards the employees only section in the back. Dave guides the way down the small stretch of hallways as Rob follows quietly behind every step of the way. Something about the way Rob had looked at Cliff had Dave on edge and he couldn't quite place what the other guy was thinking. Had Rob discovered something in that exchange or was he just cautious? Not knowing was eating Dave up inside.

"So, whaddya think about Cliff?" Dave asks while they have a moment alone together.

"Seems awfully stoic," articulates Rob, ruminating on the encounter.

"Whaddya mean?" Dave presses, slowing his gait as they near the locker room.

"Nothin'. He's just a little laidback is all," Rob clarifies and he uses a particular tone that doesn't really reassure Dave.

"That's just the way he is. He's a chill dude," Dave informs, coming to a complete stop.

"I'm only telling you what I think. I'm not accusing him of anything yet," Rob postulates in an attempt to calm Dave.

"But are you implying that he's suspicious?" Dave questions, beckoning Rob to give him a straight honest answer and not this runaround to spare his feelings.

"I am, but you shouldn't take it so personally," Rob concludes. "Right now everyone is a suspect to me. We have to take everything with a grain of salt, Dave. We can't let emotions and biases cloud our judgement. If we do, then we're back at square one."

"I just don't like thinking that one of the boys might be behind all this," Dave admits, unable to meet Rob's gaze.

"It's a strong possibility that it might come to that," Rob reiterates. He can't imagine how hard all of this is for Dave, but he can't exactly sugar coat the situation either. "You gotta be prepared for that, Dave."

"I know…" Dave sighs.

"Come on. Keep your head in the game," Rob encourages, slapping Dave on the arm to give him that extra push. "Can't afford to make mistakes."

Rob breezes past Dave in the narrow hallway, continuing his trek in search of the one they call Junior. Dave gathers his wits and jogs to catch up with the other man. They reach the locker room a few moments later and hear a faint sniffling coming from the slightly ajar door. Dave steps up to the door and carefully pushes it open so as not to prematurely disturb the occupant. Rob and Dave have a peek inside to see a half naked young man burying his face in a t shirt as his shoulders tremble and jerk with each stifled sob.

Rob can only assume that this is the other David, affectionately nicknamed Junior. Dave and Rob share a look while their presence is still unknown, and when Rob gives Dave a signal to approach the kid, Dave steps further into the room and gently clears his throat.

"You okay?" Dave beseeches in a soft tone.

The sudden inquiry makes Junior flinch a little when he realizes he isn't alone. He whips around and hides the shirt he had been crying into behind his back.

"Huh? Oh, yeah. I'm fine," Junior assures, sniffling as he wipes the less than subtle tears from his eyes. He composes himself a little before greeting Dave with a weak smile. "What are you doing here Dave?"

His cheeks are bright pink, his eyes are bloodshot, and his face is adorned with dried, as well as fresh, trails of tears. Junior looks like a housewife having downed a bottle of cheap wine after a mid-life crisis. Dave hates to do this right now when Junior's going through some shit, but he can't disregard what Rob just told him. He gives Rob a look as if asking him to approach the situation delicately and Rob acknowledges the silent plea.

"Just stopping in," replies Dave. "Seeing if anyone's heard from Jason recently."

"I understand that you're one of his friends. We just wanna ask a few questions if it's not too much trouble," Rob requests as politely as he can; which isn't a difficult feat. Rob's a nice guy when he needs to be.

"Oh, well I'll try to be as helpful as I can," says Junior as he straightened himself out; tossing his shirt aside and wiping away any excess tears.

"When did you see him last?"

"Um, last time he worked," Junior offers in a gravelly tone. His throat is torn up from crying and it makes his voice crack around certain syllables.

"Last Friday?" Rob analyzes.

"Sounds about right," Junior concurs with a nod of his head.

Junior is staring at Rob intently, wide eyed and diligent. He's focused and concentrating his full attention on Rob. Junior's eyes, though puffy and irritated from crying, never sway or wander over towards Dave for even a second. Rob notices the telltale creasing of Junior's brow and the sweat forming on his forehead. Concern, worry, anticipation… All those emotions come to mind when Rob takes in the more subtle facial twitches. Junior was much easier to gauge than Cliff. Cliff had been too stoic aside from an eyebrow twitch here and there. Then again, Junior was already pretty emotional before they showed up and Rob didn't like that. The fact that Junior had been crying prior to this was going to make forming an assessment difficult; hard, but not impossible.

"Can you tell me what happened that day?" Rob asks.

"Just another shift," Junior states, and he seems exhausted just by bringing it up. "He got into a fight with Chris, but what else is new?"

" _Chris?_ " Rob ponders thoughtfully. "What was the fight about?"

"I don't know. You know how Chris is," Junior says as he looks over at Dave to back up his claim. "He's always been a drama queen." Junior turns back to Rob and sighs. "He was probably pissed 'cus Jason was stealing the spotlight from him again."

"Do they usually fight?" Rob follows up.

"Oh, are you kidding?" Junior remarks. "All the time! It's like cats and dogs with them."

Junior's mood seems to shift, like he's forgotten all about what made him upset initially, and transitions into a more gregarious and outspoken version of what Rob's seen so far. The way Junior speaks is passionate and involved, and Rob can imagine this kid is probably an expert at reciting anecdotes and telling jokes. He definitely seems like the type to be knee deep in all of the workplace drama and Rob wouldn't be surprised if he was a gossip queen as well. Junior's the type of person that once he starts talking there's no stopping him; which is a far cry from what Rob was initially met with.

"Does it ever get physical between them?"

"Chris is all talk," Junior comments with a roll of his eyes. "He knows Jason would kick his ass if they actually threw hands."

"Is Jason violent?" Rob inquires curiously.

"Heaven's, no," Junior admonishes at the audacity of such an assumption. "It's just Jason's a _swol_ boy."

" _Swol?_ " Rob echoes, face twisting into confusion.

"You know, like, _muscular_. Kinda like you," Junior explains, gesturing at Rob's physique.

Rob nods in agreement as if he actually understands what this kid is saying and gives Dave a look only to get a shrug in return. Rob moves on from the subject to find out more info Junior might have.

"Besides that, what else happened that day?"

"After we were done with our shift, me and Jason went to this little diner on west side that's open twenty-four hours."

"Mama Dolce's?" Rob deduces; guessing accurately because Junior's face lights up with surprise when Rob mentions it.

"Yeah, you've been?" Junior replies conversationally.

"They got good burgers," Rob shrugs casually, putting Junior even more at ease with how laidback he comes off.

"Damn right they do," Junior agrees.

Dave can see what Rob's doing and it's genius. Most of the time when people tried to extort information out of someone they'd revert to bargaining to get what they wanted. Rob on the other hand was building up trust and making them feel as if they were just two buddies chatting about their weekend. Dave didn't catch onto that until just now. He always thought people like James and Rob were like the mafia when it came to interrogation; breaking fingers or busting kneecaps (who knows, they might actually do that too) but Rob was just being a nice and patient person. Dave wasn't sure if that was for his sake or not.

"So, you were the last person that saw Jason that night?" Rob assumes. He tries not to make it sound like an accusation, but more as an inquiry than anything else.

"I guess," Junior says slowly, gaze darting between Rob and Dave nervously for the first time. "Unless he met up with that guy."

"What guy?"

"There was some weirdo staring at us from across the diner that night," Junior elaborates, cringing when the memory came back to him. "He wasn't being very subtle."

"What'd he look like?"

"I don't know. Like a dude? He was skinny, had long dark hair, and wore sunglasses," Junior describes, rubbing at the back of his neck. His arm drops down to his side and he shrugs. "I mean, who the hell wears sunglasses at night unless they're a weirdo ya know?"

"And you've never seen this guy before that?" Rob stipulates, figuring Junior hasn't given his response but still feeling the need to cover all bases.

"Nope, but Jason sure did."

"Why's that?"

"He recognized him, or at least I think so. Once Jason spotted him he started acting strange."

"Strange how?"

"He was all flustered and nervous. He certainly didn't wanna stay at the diner for much longer after that." A look of worry spreads across his features and he sighs. "He didn't even finish his food," Junior murmurs as an afterthought

"Do you have any clue as to why this guy might be following Jason?"

"Nothing comes to mind," says Junior.

"What about Gar? You think maybe the guy you saw at the diner could be associated with Gar and was coming to collect the debt he owes?" Rob instigates, jumping to the most logical conclusion he can make with the information given to him.

"There's no way," Junior brushes off quickly.

Out of the corner of his eye, Dave can see Rob flinch oh so slightly at this response. Rob seems taken aback by Junior's certainty even though he's aware that Junior is very familiar with Gar and Jason's debt.

"What makes you so sure?" Rob asks suspiciously.

"Because Gar is a _diva_ ," Junior states.

"How do you mean?"

"Gar's like a comic book villain. He needs everyone to know his master plan and motivations. He wants his face to be the last thing anyone sees before they die, ya know?"

The explanation actually makes sense to Dave because Gar totally is like that. He's always liked attention and having the upperhand; Gar needed the spotlight and took pride in being smug about his accomplishments. One could say he was narcissistic in some ways. Junior is right. Gar wouldn't send a goon to collect his money, especially when he's been riding Jason's ass about it for so long. Gar craved the pay off (in more ways than one).

"He wouldn't want some weirdo in sunglasses to take away his thunder. Let alone Lars," Junior adds after he explains his meaning to Rob.

"Speaking of Lars, was he in here earlier?" Dave interrupts, jumping at the mention of Gar's right hand man.

"Why?" Junior inquires, gaze shifting nervously towards Dave.

"Cliff said he saw you two talking and judging by the way you were crying when we came in, it must not have been a pleasant conversation," Rob surmises, piecing small tidbits of information together as the inner workings of the situation start to fall into place.

"It's nothing," Junior dismisses, and this causes him to refuse to look either of them in the eye for the first time.

"It's not nothing. What's wrong?" Dave implores, reaching out to console the young man.

"Like you care," Junior mumbles, crossing his arms as he flinches away from Dave's touch.

That reaction might seem out of place for anyone not familiar, but Dave figures he deserves the cold shoulder from Junior. They dated once upon a time and even though Junior swore up and down that he didn't care and was over it, Dave knew the young man still had some hard feelings about the whole thing. Most of the boys he's dated never took the break up so well, but his break up with Junior hurt the most. For both parties concerned. It was never his intention; that's just how it ended up.

"What are you talking about? Of course I care. You're feelings matter to me, David," Dave consoles in an attempt to comfort the young man.

"Sure they do," Junior remarks despondently, though he finally allows Dave to touch his arm. Junior glances up at Dave with a resigned expression. "He was just being an asshole that can't take no for an answer. Nothing new."

"Want me to do something about it? 'Cus I'll give that little shit a piece of my mind if he's bothering you," Dave offers, reaching out with both hands to rub at Junior's arms tenderly.

"No, it's whatever," Junior dismisses with a tired sigh. He flashes Dave a smile as if he has to reassure the older man that everything is okay. "He just really got under my skin this time. That's all."

"Okay. Well, you know I'm here for you right? If you ever need anything," Dave reiterates, extending a hand up to brush some hair out of Junior's face.

"Yeah, sure," Junior acknowledges, accepting Dave's affection.

Rob watches the whole interaction go down and he has to say he can definitely see some tension between both of the Davids; Junior being standoffish and Dave indulging his guilt by coddling the younger man with intimate touches. If Rob didn't know any better he would have just assumed he walked in on a couple reconciling their differences. There was more to their relationship, but Rob wasn't about to pry into that right now. It wasn't the place or time to do so.

"I'm sorry if we intruded on you at a sensitive time," Rob apologizes when Dave finally stops fawning over the kid.

"It's okay," Junior brushes off with a wave of his hand; smiling. "Anything to help Jason."

"One more thing," Rob adds. "Did Jason tell you anything before he left?"

"No. He just stormed out of the diner and I haven't seen or heard from him since," Junior explains, expressing some worry. "Marty probably knows more than anyone else. I'd talk to him."

"Yeah, that was gonna be our next stop," Dave informs.

"Sorry I couldn't be more helpful," Junior says with an apologetic expression.

"You helped more than you know," Rob clarifies in a vaguely cryptic manner. "Thanks for your time, David."

Rob and Dave leave the locker room after Dave has a few more words with Junior. Rob can't hear what's said, but it seems like Dave is comforting the young man by the looks of it. Rob would press the topic and ask Dave what was up between him and Junior, but Rob doesn't think that's a subject Dave would want to talk about right now considering the circumstances. So Rob follows Dave quietly down the hallway and a few moments later they're outside Marty's office. Dave pauses and turns towards Rob before knocking on the door.

"Just a heads up, but Marty's kind of a smart ass," Dave warns beforehand. "So, if he gets a little sassy, don't take it so personally."

"Got it."

Dave faces the door and raps his knuckles on the frosted glass window before letting himself in. Marty's sitting behind his desk typing away on his computer as Dave and Rob enter. He spares a glance up at the two men briefly before his eyes flick back over to his screen to finish up a few more keystrokes. In the meantime, Dave and Rob take a seat across from Marty and wait for the smaller man to finish what he's doing. A couple clicks later and Marty closes the program and swivels his chair to face them.

"Where's Jason?" Dave politely demands before Marty can get a word in.

"Nice to see you too," Marty remarks with an amused huff. He furrowed his eyebrows at Dave and tilts his head slightly. "Didn't we already have this conversation?"

"We did, but I need you to tell me again," Dave reiterates.

"Okay, what do you wanna know specifically?"

"Everything, if possible," Rob speaks up, drawing Marty's dark eyes over towards him.

"Who's this guy?" Marty questions, looking Rob amup and down suspiciously.

"Don't worry about it," Dave insists.

"Okay…" Marty says slowly as he looks between Dave and Rob. "Well, about a week ago Jason requested some time off so he could go back to his hometown and visit family," he begins, reciting the story as if he's gone over it a thousand times already. "He had some PTO saved up and I did the calculations to make sure we had enough people to cover his shifts, so I signed off on the request and made adjustments to the schedule printed in the locker room."

Rob nods thoughtfully. He spotted the schedule hanging on the wall while they were talking to Junior and noticed that some things had been scribbled out and revised.

"I couldn't put it through the system 'cus I didn't have access at the time," Marty concludes, alluding to the clearance he had to acquire from Dave.

"Is that what he said exactly? Did he say anything else?" Rob asks, getting Marty to gaze at him from under his bangs.

"His note was pretty brief, but yeah. That's the gist of it," Marty confirms.

"Wait... _Note?_ " Dave chimes in, sitting up in his chair. For a second he thinks he might have misheard Marty, but judging by Marty's expression that wasn't the case. "You didn't _talk_ to him over the phone or face to face?"

"No…" Marty gives Dave this _I thought you knew that_ sort of look. "A note was left on my office door."

"Do you still have the note?" Rob inquires. Marty nods in response, prompting Rob to hold a hand out towards him. "Can we see it?"

"Sure, here you go," Marty complies, digging through his desk drawer before producing a small folded up piece of paper.

Rob accepts the paper and unfolds it. Dave leans over to read the note silently with Rob.

_Marty, I'm taking some time off. My family needs me urgently. I'm sorry for such short notice. I hope you understand._

_-Jason_

Both men seem to take the message in for a few moments as they re-read it a couple times. Dave's eyes are searching and bereft as his brain soaks in the words written on a crumpled up piece of paper. This isn't what Dave was hoping for, then again he didn't have much hope to begin with. If Marty had spoken to Jason face to face that might have given them something substantial to go on, but as it stands there isn't much promise in a scribbled note.

"You weren't kidding when you said it was brief," Rob acknowledges.

"That's all I got. There hasn't been any word since then," Marty sighs. "No phone calls. I can't contact his family because--"

"Because they're not on file," Dave interjects in a monotone voice and he sounds as if he's ready to give up.

Marty notices the way Dave reacts to this news and he suddenly feels an overwhelming sense of unease stemming from across his desk. He looks at Rob, at a loss for words when he begins to understand the meaning of all this.

"What's going on with Jason?" Marty asks cautiously.

"That's what we're trying to figure out," says Rob.

Marty looks over at Dave. "Whaddya thinking?"

"Gar's been breathing down Jason's neck for awhile now," Dave points out, going over all the facts in his head at the speed of light.

"Because of his debt?" Marty reaffirms. 

Dave nods. "Uh huh."

"Maybe he skipped town," Marty suggests, coming to the same conclusion that Dave and many others have assumed at this point.

"That's what I thought at first, but with the timing of things it seems awfully convenient," Dave expresses, letting that doubt creep up on him once again.

"Do you think he's the one that's been taking your money?" submits Marty.

"I don't know, but he's a suspect."

"Could be foul play," Rob adds after a brief pause.

"What makes you say that?" Marty questions, shocked at what he's hearing right now.

"Judging by what others have been telling us, it didn't seem like Jason had been planning to leave," Rob divulges, bringing Marty up to speed on the situation. "Jason could have been coerced into writing this note by someone. Whether directly or as a result of fearing for his safety."

"You think?" Dave ponders.

"It's a classic strategy when you wanna make someone disappear without raising alarm," Rob explains, and it makes sense the more they begin to think about it.

"And how do you know that?"

Marty shoots an accusatory look at Rob, growing more and more suspicious of this stranger coming into his office and demanding answers out of him. Okay, maybe that an over exaggeration, but Marty's on guard is what he's saying. Rob makes eye contact with Marty, seeing the distrust in his dark brown eyes, and smirks over at the young man.

"I've done it before," Rob states sinisterly.

"Dave, who is this guy?" Marty beckons in an irritated tone.

"I'm helping."

"Hi _helping_ , I'm Marty," he remarks.

"You weren't kidding, Dave. He _is_ a smart ass," Rob comments, looking Marty up and down with an almost fascinated gaze.

Marty picks up on the interest in Rob's eyes, but he's unsure of the extent of that interest. He didn't know whether Rob found him amusing or if his longing stare meant something else entirely. Maybe he was trying to make Marty all flustered by giving him flirtatious looks. Whatever the case, Marty tried not to let himself visibly blush as the bigger man's eyes lingered on him. He let out an indignant huff like he couldn't be bothered and smirked at Rob knowingly.

"This isn't even my final form," Marty dead pans, though there is a hint of playfulness to it that Rob picks up on.

"I bet," Rob teases with a quirk of his eyebrows.

Dave sits there and witnesses the bizarre exchange, feeling slightly awkward as if he's walked in on something he shouldn't be seeing.

"You guys need a minute or..?" Dave trails off.

"Actually, yeah," Rob decides, sitting forward in his chair. "I wanna talk to Marty alone for a second."

"I was joking," Dave dead pans, but he can tell that Rob wasn't. After a few seconds Dave takes the hint and gets out of his chair to head for the door. "Okay. I'll... be outside the door."

Once Dave is out of the room, Rob stands up and walks around to Marty's side of the desk. He leans up against the desk, making Marty have to push himself back in his chair a little to make room for the bigger guy. Marty stares up at Rob from under his curls with wide brown eyes that never seem to blink. He doesn't look scared, per se, but Rob can tell that the close proximity makes Marty squirm in his chair ever so subtly.

"What?" Marty asks.

"Jason addressed this note to you and left it on your door. Why is that?" Rob speculates, holding up the folded piece of paper. "Dave is the boss. Why not leave it for him to find?"

"How am I supposed to know why Jason made the choices he made?" Marty replies, eyeing the note as arob holds it in his face.

"Can you do me a favor? Can you write this note for me?" Rob requests, shifting closer to Marty.

Marty squints up at Rob skeptically. He knows what Rob is driving at but he still feels compelled to ask, that way he knows whether he should be offended or not.

"Why?"

"You know why."

"I don't remember it word for word," Marty scoffs sarcastically. "Can I see it?"

"I'll read it back to you. Can't have you cheating," Rob teases with a smirk.

Marty obliges the request and begrudgingly pulls out a pen and paper. Rob doesn't back away or give Marty any space, choosing to tower over him as a means to make Marty more nervous as he recites the note slowly back to him so Marty can copy it all down. Marty signs Jason's name at the bottom of the page as requested by Rob and hands it to the big guy.

"There," Marty says with a hint of attitude. "Satisfied?"

Rob looks down at the paper and comes to the conclusion he was suspecting. He looks down at Marty and scoots a little closer to him.

"Almost."

A few minutes later he emerges from Marty's office to see Dave waiting patiently with his hands in his pockets. He pushes himself off of the wall when Rob closes the door behind him and takes a step towards him. Dave looks slightly irritated from having to wait outside while Rob and Marty spoke privately.

"What was that all about?" Dave questions.

"I just wanted to double check something," says Rob.

"Yeah? That include getting his number?" Dave huffs.

"It's not what you think," Rob assures with a sigh.

"Oh really? 'Cus to me it looked like you wanted to flirt with him in private," Dave teases, smirking a little when he notices Rob reveals the slightest bit of emotion.

"It was clear to me that he wasn't gonna give me what I wanted, so when I asked you to leave I asserted my dominance a little," Rob explains.

"Kinky," Dave remarks. Rob rolls his eyes and Dave smirks. "And did you get what you want?"

"I got this," says Rob, producing Marty's rendition of Jason's note.

Dave snatches it up and looks at it.

"I thought it was weird that Jason would leave his note for Marty to find and not you, so I asked him to rewrite it," Rob tells him, elucidating one of his possible suspicions. "Obviously, it's not a match, but I just wanted to make sure."

"Was telling me to leave really necessary?" Dave poses.

"Well, it would've been kinda weird to ask for his number with you hanging around," Rob admits, prompting Dave to roll his eyes.

"And you were telling _me_ to focus," Dave says with a shake of his head. "Aren't you supposed to be the professional one here?"

"Don't worry. I can do two things at once," Rob reassures with a good-natured smile, clasping Dave on the shoulder.

"Were you at least successful?" Dave inquires as they navigate the back hallways of the club.

"Yeah, I plan on calling him after we sort all this out."

" _If_ we sort it out," Dave corrects.

"Fair point..." Rob mentions thoughtfully. "It's gonna be really awkward if we found out it was Marty all along."

"Yeah, that would put a damper on your potential relationship," Dave concurs.

They share a laugh as they exit the back of the club and re-emerge onto the main floor where the place is still bumping with music and the evening crowd is slowly filtering in. The place will be bustling soon and Dave was to get out of here before rush hour slams them. The traffic in Los Angeles was already horrendous so Dave didn't want to get packed in here like a sardine in a tin. They were done here for now, as far as Dave is concerned, and he had a pretty good idea where he wanted to take this investigation next.

The exit out the front entrance of the club and step out onto the sidewalk for a breath of fresh air. Evening was fast approaching, if the sun setting wasn't telltale enough, and Dave hadn't even noticed that talking to some of the guys would take so long. He was glad they came back though. It might not have produced all the answers Dave was hoping for, but it certainly shed some light on the situation. Dave looks over at Rob and the other man meets his gaze expectantly.

"So, where to now, boss?" asks Rob.

"I got an idea…"

About half an hour later they pulled up in front of Jason's house and killed the engine. They sat inside the car for a few minutes, scoping the place out. The neighborhood wasn't too fancy, but it wasn't exactly a slum either; not very pretty by any means but nice and quiet nonetheless. The driveway was empty, not that it mattered since Jason didn't own a car to begin with, and the front lawn had a little overgrowth from going unattended for a whole week. There's nothing really remarkable or worth noting, that is until a light from inside the house is flicked on.

Dave and Rob share a brief look of suspicion before Dave is bolting out of Rob's car and sprinting up towards the front porch. Rob chases after close behind, moving on instinct just as much as Dave. Dave is so fueled by adrenaline that he bursts through the front door without even thinking twice, not realizing that it was actually unlocked. Rob runs in through the threshold and draws his gun immediately when he spots movement out of the corner of his eye.

Dave stumbles back in pure shock and hangs to the wayside of Rob to get out of the line of fire. Rob keeps his gun trained on the figure, holding it with both hands and staring down the sights. He doesn't even flinch. Dave stares in dumbfounded awe as his eyes dart from Rob's gun over towards the person caught in the crossfire. Dave's heart is racing so fast, but the palpitations come to a halt the moment Dave takes in the sight of a tall skinny man with long dark hair. Dave's eyes are immediately drawn to the sunglasses that hang from the man's shirt collar.

The same man Junior saw at the diner a week ago.


End file.
